Vous, Moi, Et Nous
by musicchica10
Summary: Post Movie. Arthur and Ariadne have to come to terms with each other while working on a new job. What will happen when their past comes back to haunt them?
1. Soldier On

**Hey all! I'm here with a new story! I don't have much to say about it, but I do know that I have a storyline in mind and I'm working on other chapters. This story might be written out of order, which means updates may be more sporadic, but I hope you enjoy this story! Leave a review and any ideas you have for me! Thanks!**

**I also think that a lot of people portray Arthur as being uptight and stoic, after watching Inception a few more times I realized that Arthur really isn't all that uptight. To me he seems like he expresses himself well and he knows what he's doing...so with that said I hope I give him justice in this story.  
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**I don't own Inception, I wish I did though...I'd take Arthur all for myself ;)

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He watched as Cobb made his way through immigration. Not only had they successfully completed Inception, but they had also helped Cobb return to his family. Cobb quickly disappeared in the crowd, and soon Arthur was paying no attention to anything but finding his bag. As he stood there waiting to retrieve his bag, his thoughts began to wander to his next step.

He really had no idea what he was going to do next. The past few years of his life were spent with Cobb, helping him get back to his children and working a few extraction jobs here and there. He figured he could go back home and visit his family now that he was out of work. It had been three years since he'd seen them after all. But in all honesty he had plans about finding more extraction jobs, albeit less ambitious than Inception, but jobs nonetheless.

A blue scarf caught Arthur's eye and he turned his head to find Ariadne struggling to make her way to her bag. She was quite small Arthur had noticed when he first met her. He contemplated on whether or not if he should get her bag for her. He knew she was a very independent person, as was evident in the fact that she was able to move to Paris to continue her studies, and she might not appreciate the help. Arthur shook his head and made his way to her.

"Need some help miss?" He asked. Ariadne looked up at him surprised, but she quickly recovered and smiled.

"Um…sure. I just need to get my bag. Unfortunately people seem to just walk past me and not even notice I'm here." She replied.

Arthur chuckled and looked at the conveyor belt. They stood there in silence until Ariadne saw her bag.

"That's mine." She pointed to it and Arthur nodded. They both knew that Arthur knew what her bag looked like, but for their safety they had to act as if they were strangers who just met.

In one swift motion Arthur grabbed her blue bag and placed it at her feet. Ariadne smiled at him and pulled out the handle.

"Thank you…uh, I didn't get your name." Ariadne bit her lip and raised her eyebrows.

Arthur grinned, impressed with her. "I'm Arthur." He answered and held out his hand to her.

"Arthur, nice to meet you. I'm Ariadne." She gripped his hand firmly and there was a twinkle in her eye. She was enjoying this. Arthur held her gaze and after noticing they were still holding hands, they let go, embarrassed.

"Sorry." Ariadne mumbled, blushing and looking down. She wiped her hands nervously against her pants, avoiding his gaze.

"It's ok." Arthur replied, rubbing the back of his neck bashfully. "So is this your first time in Los Angeles?" He asked.

"This is my first time spending the week in LA, but I've had a layover here before." She told him. Arthur nodded.

"Well if you need anything…" He trailed off.

Ariadne nodded and smiled at him before turning and walking away. Arthur watched her retreating form. He had a million thoughts running through his head. He knew he shouldn't go down that path. He was the Point Man. He couldn't allow emotions to rule him, especially silly ones like attraction. Last time he let his emotions run him…

He shook his head. He couldn't believe he was even thinking about it. He sighed and picked up his bags. He knew full well that Ariadne would cause him a lot of problems. In a good way of course, but problems nonetheless.

Ariadne climbed into the cab with a shy smile on her face. She knew that this could possibly be their last time seeing each other, but she really didn't believe this would be the end.

She fiddled with her scarf before reaching into her pocket to grab her bishop. Her hand wrapped around it and she frowned when she felt a paper rub against her knuckles. Cautiously and curiously she pulled it out and unfolded it.

_Like I said, if you need anything feel free to give me a call. You have my number. I'll be keeping in touch. –Arthur_

Ariadne grinned and refolded the paper, tucking it safely away in her jean pocket. She should have known Arthur would do something like that. It was very Humphrey Bogart of him…at least she thought so. She lost herself in thought as the cab drove her to the hotel Arthur booked her in.

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**Short prologue, I know, but I wanted to start off short. The next chapter is longer I promise. Leave a review and let me know what you think.**


	2. Of Architects and Entropy

**I'm so glad that this story got such a positive response. It really was overwhelming to me (in a good way) and I am really excited about this story. I have tons of stories I want to write, and have even gotten suggestions. I will definitely take those suggestions, but this story I already have a plot in mind, so I'm gonna stick with it. However, the next story I definitely will write the storyline based on the suggestions. For now here is chapter 2 of this story! I am a little unsure about Arthur in this one, and honestly I don't know where this chapter came from...so yeah. Read and review please! Let me know what you think!**

**Someday I plan on owning Inception...but as of now, I don't.

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Ariadne knew that after the week was over she would be heading back to the real world. She wasn't sure she would be able to go back to her normal life, but being the determined person that she was, she knew that she wanted to graduate. She didn't go to graduate school to not get her Masters in Architecture. This was something she was going to do. She had to finish what she started, even if she may not use it in the real world.

She sighed after thinking about her next move and looked out the window. Arthur had booked her a hotel. It was the first time she'd ever stayed in a five star hotel and it was a little intimidating. A few months ago she wouldn't have been able to afford it, but now she could. It was a new feeling for her and she actually found that she liked it.

She would be in Los Angeles for a week, and she really wasn't sure what she'd do with her time. The long flight left her feeling tired and anxious even though she was asleep through the whole flight. She didn't think that dream sharing could exhaust you so much, but as she thought about it she could understand why. Her mind was constantly working, creating things, and she was aware that she was dreaming. That's enough to drain your mind and body of energy.

By Wednesday Ariadne had grown restless. She had to get out of the hotel and do something. Acting on impulse she grabbed everything and checked out of the hotel, deciding that heading back to Paris would be better than staying locked up in a hotel for another four days. She knew she was breaking protocol, but she just couldn't take it anymore.

She made it to the airport and quickly bought the first ticket to Paris. It would be a long flight, but she was glad to be getting home.

"Excuse me miss?" The stewardess got her attention.

"Oh, sorry." Ariadne said as she turned her attention to the woman.

"Yes, would you like anything to drink?" The stewardess asked.

"Umm…no thank you. Maybe later." Ariadne replied and smiled.

"Alright, enjoy your flight."

Ariadne smiled and turned to look out the window. She really found that she enjoyed flying first class. She was the only woman in first class, and most of the men were wearing expensive suits. She squirmed as thoughts flashed to the team and…Arthur.

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Arthur had been keeping tabs on Ariadne. When he went to check up on her at the hotel, he found that she had left and he mentally slapped himself for not keeping a closer eye on her. She knew that protocol, she knew that she had to stay in Los Angeles for a full week. He quickly pulled out his phone and dialed Cobb's number.

"Hello?" Cobb's voice sounded different. He sounded happy and at peace with himself. The tension he had grown used to hearing was replaced with a light playful tone.

"Cobb." Arthur simply said, glancing around him to make sure no on was listening.

"Arthur? What's wrong?" Cobb asked, suddenly becoming alert.

"Nothing's wrong. Ariadne just left sooner than she was supposed to. Should I follow her?" He asked. Cobb sighed and the line went silent before he spoke up.

"She'll be fine. She can take care of herself, unless you feel that she's in danger...you don't think she is do you?" Cobb asked.

"No, her trail seemed to be fine. I just don't know how I feel about her leaving before she was supposed to." Arthur said, trying to ignore the unpleasant feeling he kept getting when he thought of her all alone.

"You know how I feel about breaking protocol." Arthur quickly added to cover up his obvious concern for the young architect.

"Arthur, she's spent the past few years on her own taking care of herself. She'll be fine." Cobb told him, sensing Arthur's uneasiness.

Arthur sighed. "I'll keep in touch. Tell James and Philippa hi for me and that I'll visit soon."

"Will do. Thanks Arthur, and take care of yourself…and Ariadne."

Arthur ended the call and frowned. If she left today, she would be in Paris soon. He thought about going after her, but after recalling Cobb's words he decided to wait until the week was over. He could survive not knowing what was going on with her until then.

With that in mind, Arthur made his way back to the hotel he was staying at. As he was walking he decided to stop by a bar and have a few drinks. To his dismay Eames was sitting right at the bar and spotted him when he walked in. Eames' smirk didn't go unnoticed by Arthur, nor did Eames not notice the eye roll that Arthur shot him.

"I'll have a gin and tonic please." Arthur told the bartender and took a seat three stools away from Eames. Eames quickly stood up and moved to the stool next to Arthur, letting his body drop onto the chair with a thud.

Eames snorted at Arthur's drink choice. "Seriously darling? A gin and tonic? Why not try something a little more exotic. Be daring for once, you're always so droll. Here let me order something for you." Eames grinned and Arthur scowled.

"I'm fine." Arthur replied, taking his drink and paying the bartender.

"Oh come on. At least have some shots with me." Eames insisted. Arthur frowned and tried to ignore Eames, but failed when the bartender placed four shots in front of Eames and four in front of Arthur. Arthur sighed and turned to Eames.

Eames smirked and raised his eyebrows at Arthur. "Name's Eames."

Arthur raised his glass, "Arthur."

"Well Arthur, how about we see who can hold out the longest?" Eames challenged.

"I'd rather not." Arthur sipped his drink.

"Don't be such a stick in the mud. Come on, whoever holds out the longest doesn't have to pay." Eames offered.

Arthur faltered for a moment, knowing that he was pretty good at holding his alcohol. "Alright."

"Yes!" Eames clapped his hands and told the bartender to keep the shots coming.

Half an hour later Arthur was barely sitting up while Eames was laughing heartily. He pulled out Arthur's wallet and paid the bartender. He quickly helped Arthur into the taxi and back to his hotel.

"Well you really are a light weight aren't you?" Eames chuckled as he practically carried Arthur into his room.

Arthur moaned. "Shut up Eames."

"Well that's no way to treat the man who paid for your drinks and so graciously escorted you back to your hotel."

Arthur scoffed and Eames flinched as Arthur's breath reached his nose.

"You did not pay. You used my money to pay. So I was the one who paid." Arthur opened his door and Eames helped him settle onto the bed.

"Now tell me why you were so easy to convince there in the bar." Eames finally said after they were settled in the room.

"What?" Arthur slurred.

"You never give in so easily when it comes to drinking. What's going on?" Eames asked, sounding much more sober than he was.

Arthur sat up, shaking as he tried to keep his balance. "Nothing is going on Eames."

Eames crossed his arms and scoffed. "Yeah, and I'm the Queen of Hearts."

Arthur sighed and closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He quickly glanced at Eames before deciding to answer him.

"Ariadne isn't at the hotel. She checked out this morning. She broke protocol. I'm just worried she might get into some trouble."

Eames gawked at him, surprised that Arthur would actually tell him anything. Realizing what Arthur just said, Eames smirked.

"She can take care of herself. But it looks to me as if you have developed feelings for the pretty little architect. I can see why. She is a lovely thing. I had to control myself around her. Hmmm…do you think she'll go for me?" Eames started messing with Arthur.

Arthur snapped his head up and turned bright red. "Eames, stay away from her! And I have not developed feelings for her! This was her first job and I just want to make sure that she doesn't get into any trouble or fall into the wrong hands if she gets job offers from other extractors."

"You seem sober enough now. Think you're up for another round?" Eames joked. Arthur glared at Eames before lying back down, covering his face with his arm.

"Get out Eames." Arthur mumbled.

"Alright, alright. Just know that if she knew you were being so protective over her she'd probably be pissed. Just wait until the week is over and you can kiss the life out of her." Eames grinned and closed to door quickly before Arthur could throw something at him.

Arthur grumbled and closed his eyes, knowing that in the morning he'd have a painful hangover.

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**Well what did you think? I know Arthur doesn't seem like the one to get drunk, but like I said, this chapter just came out of no where, and I think Arthur deserves a few drinks. He did help complete Inception after all...and Eames was shoving alcohol down his throat...sometimes Eames can just be so persistent! haha...anyways...review please! :D **


	3. The Young and the Brutal

**Yay! So I had time to update since the college doesn't open til 10 tomorrow! Which means that I get to sleep in! So I decided to stay up late and get this posted. Hope you like this chapter. This will draw out many questions from all of you, but I like a little mystery :) Read and review! Thanks for all the alerts and reviews! It makes me so happy to read all of your reviews and to see that you all like my stories. **

**I don't own Inception...I will have to work harder on that huh? ;)

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Ariadne was too occupied with her drawings that she didn't hear the flight attendant announce that they would be landing soon. It wasn't until a voice across from her spoke up that she finally paid attention.

"Excuse me miss?" The man called to her.

Her head snapped up and she looked at the man, her eyes narrowed at being interrupted.

"We'll be landing shortly." He told her. Her eyes softened when she realized he was only trying to help.

"Oh! Thank you sir." Ariadne smiled and quickly put her sketchpad away and buckled up.

"Are you vacationing in Paris?" The man asked again.

"No, I live here. Actually I'm going to school here. I started my Masters degree in Architecture a year ago." She replied, smiling.

The man chuckled. "I wouldn't have guessed that you lived in Paris. It doesn't seem like a place for a young woman like you."

"Why not? You don't think a young woman can enjoy Paris?" She raised her eyebrow at him and frowned.

"No, I never said that. Most women don't like to go to Paris alone. It is the city of love after all." The man answered, smiling at her.

Ariadne shifted in her seat uncomfortably. "Yeah, well I'm not most women."

"I can see that." The man chuckled. "So what's your name?"

Ariadne eyed him suspiciously before answering. "Ariadne."

"Ariadne. Interesting name. I'm Colin."

"Colin huh? What's an Englishman like you doing in Paris?" Ariadne asked, trying to get some information out of him. Something about him reminded her of Eames, but there was definitely something suspicious about him.

"Ah, I see you know your accents. I'm in Paris for a job actually. I'll be here for a few months. My brother is actually supposed to be meeting me here on Monday." He replied.

"A job? What kind of job? What do you do?" Ariadne asked, curiosity getting the best of her.

"Let's just say I'm an actor of sorts." Colin grinned. Ariadne frowned, he was being extremely vague with his answers, she wasn't sure she liked it.

"Actor? In dreams maybe." Ariadne scoffed, knowing that if he caught on to her subtle hint, he'd tell her.

"Ah, precisely." Colin smirked.

"I see…" Ariadne trailed off, giving Colin a look showing that she understood what he meant.

"What do you say we have a drink after we land? I'd like to talk to you some more, if you don't mind."

Ariadne thought for a minute, not sure if this was threatening or not. She nodded, knowing that Arthur taught her some self defense moves and how to use a knife if she needed to.

"Alright, I know a good coffee shop." Ariadne said before turning her attention back to her bag.

Colin grinned and turned to look out the window. Ariadne continued to stare at him. A small sense of familiarity with Colin was causing her to take interest in him.

She sighed and shook her head, knowing that Arthur wouldn't approve of her decision to have drinks with a complete stranger, but she didn't think Colin was very harmful.

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Arthur woke up the next morning with one of the worst headaches he'd had in years. He instantly regretted drinking so much when he sat up and felt nauseated. Glancing around the large suite, he spotted a bottle of aspirin sitting on the farthest table from the bed. He groaned knowing that Eames was messing with him.

His feet hit the floor with a soft thud and he padded over to the table, willing himself not to throw up. When he reached the table he found a glass of water and a note also awaiting him. Before reaching for the note, he poured four aspirin into his mouth and quickly swallowed them with water.

He snatched up the note and gasped when he recognized the writing.

_Arthur, meet me in Paris, there's a job we want you to be in on. – C_

He let the note fall from his hands and it fluttered to the floor. He looked around and frowned, wondering how the person could have possibly gotten into his room so easily.

"This is what happens when I let myself get drunk." Arthur murmured and ran his fingers through his hair frustratingly. He quickly regained his composure and jumped in the shower. He spent half an hour in there, trying to refresh himself and wash off the smell of alcohol.

By the time he finished he felt much better and he packed everything he brought with him, preparing to leave for Paris. He was now breaking his own protocol, but if he was found, that meant that other people from the team could have been found…including Ariadne.

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Ariadne found herself enjoying the company of Colin, he was a flirt, but she easily brushed it off, used to being hit on by Eames.

"So you're going to perform an extraction?" She finally asked once the conversation turned more serious.

Colin set down his tea and stared at Ariadne intently, as if studying her.

"Well sort of, we want to try something new, but we're not sure it's going to work. My extractor is on her way, but she was running late, so you may not get to meet her today."

"What is it that you want to do exactly?" Ariadne asked.

"Well we want to erase part of this subject's memory." Colin replied coolly, watching Ariadne's reaction.

"What? Why would you want to do something like that? That's cruel!" Ariadne shrieked louder than she meant. People turned to look at her, and she blushed.

Colin smirked at her before answering. "The subject wants us to do this, she had a bad childhood and would rather not relive some of those experiences over again."

"Oh." Ariadne blushed again at her reaction before hearing the whole plan. "So she hired you to erase memories?"

"Precisely. The thing is we've never done this before and we're not sure what we'll have to do to get it done."

"Then why did you take the job?" Ariadne asked, genuine curiosity in her voice.

"I like the challenge." Colin shrugged and smirked haughtily. "Plus I'd want to erase those memories too if I were in her place."

"It's really that bad?"

Colin nodded and kept his gaze on Ariadne. "I hear you're an excellent architect. Helped complete inception right?"

Ariadne looked at him stunned. "I uh, what? How did you find that out?"

"I have my ways." Colin replied. "So, are you in?"

Ariadne frowned and looked down at her cup of now cold hot chocolate. She finally looked up and nodded.

"Alright, just give me the time and place of meeting."

Colin grinned widely and handed her a folded piece of paper.

"I'm honored to have you on board. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to meet my extractor and chemist. I'll see you soon. It was a pleasure to meet you Ariadne." Colin shook her hand and quickly brought it to his lips and kissed it.

Ariadne smiled and watched as Colin walked off. She was curious about how he found out about her or even heard of her. She was new to the dream world, so he had to have strong connections. She unfolded the note and gasped at the contents on the paper.

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**So...what did you think? Review and let me know! I'll try to get the next chapter up soon! **


	4. This Sets My Head On Fire

**So since the snow and winter decided to take over, classes were canceled, which meant that I had tons of time to write chapters for this. I am now ahead by 3 chapters. So I decided to go ahead and post this. Let me know what you think! I hope you all like it, and I'm glad you all are enjoying it so far. Trust me, things will get intense...but there will be fluff...eventually. Anyways, here's the next chapter. Some questions will be answered, some won't, but they will soon! Review please!**

**If I could perform Inception on Christopher Nolan for the rights of Inception, I would, but it won't happen. I'd probably get destroyed by his projections...haha...

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Arthur was out of Los Angeles within an hour and he knew he had a long flight ahead of him. He still didn't understand how they had found him, but as he really thought about it he sighed, knowing that there were multiple ways to find him.

He only hoped that they weren't after Ariadne, she didn't need to be involved with them, they took dangerous and sometimes impossible jobs, and he didn't want Ariadne involved with them. Hopefully Ariadne had enough sense to know when to say no.

When his flight landed he was surprised to see Eames sitting casually in the airport as if he were waiting for Arthur.

"Eames? What are you doing here?" Arthur asked.

"I'm here to visit my brother." Eames shrugged.

"Your brother is in Paris? Why?" Arthur raised his eyebrows and looked at Eames suspiciously.

"Says he has a job and wants me in on it." Eames replied, standing up and waiting for Arthur to take the lead.

"Is your brother working with…"

"Yes." Eames quickly replied, giving Arthur a sympathetic look.

"They didn't…"

"No. Not yet at least." Eames cut Arthur off again. Arthur sighed and looked away, shaking off his feelings of hurt and anger.

Eames let Arthur sort through his thoughts as they walked through the airport. He knew that it would be difficult for him, especially if they also asked Arthur to help them out.

"Since we're here, are you going to check up on Ariadne?" Eames finally asked.

"I don't know. Maybe."

"You were worried about her the other day, and now you're not sure if you want to check up on her? Seriously Arthur, you're as bipolar as the weather in New Mexico."

"New Mexico?" Arthur scoffed. "What do you know about New Mexico?"

"Plenty, I had to stay in Santa Fe for a couple of weeks after a job went horribly wrong…and I did steal some money from the guy who hired me, so I needed a safe place to hide." Eames answered.

"And New Mexico seemed safe?" Arthur asked skeptically.

"Well yes. It's a terribly boring state though, I don't know why anyone would want to stay there." Eames furrowed his brow, deep in thought.

Arthur rolled his eyes and sighed. "I may give her a call, see how she's doing. I just don't want her to get involved in anything she doesn't need to."

"Arthur, do we have to go over this again? She's a grown woman. She can make her own decisions and she's smart enough to know when to say no."

"Yes, but with the dream world it's much harder for the architect to say no. You and I both know that." Arthur reminded Eames.

Eames sighed, knowing that Arthur was right. "Alright, but she's a smart girl. I think she'll be fine."

After that the subject was dropped, both were thinking about the job. Eames didn't know if Arthur was taking it or not, but he figured that he was. They both ended up in Paris after all.

"So where are you headed?" Eames finally asked.

Arthur sighed and rubbed his face. "I'm going to the warehouse. Apparently that's the meeting spot for the job."

Eames nodded. "Might as well head there together, eh?"

Arthur frowned but didn't protest. He was too busy thinking about what would be awaiting him there. He hadn't thought much about the past. Arthur was always one to move on and not look back, but now he was being forced to look back and he didn't like it.

"Hey Arthur!" Eames broke Arthur out of his thoughts.

"What?" Arthur snapped. Eames grinned and pointed at the warehouse. Arthur turned pale for a second, but quickly gained his composure.

"Why don't we head in?" Eames motioned for Arthur to go first. Arthur inhaled deeply and turned to doorknob before quietly making his way in and looking around.

"Colin!" Eames exclaimed. Colin turned around and stood up quickly, making his way towards Eames.

"Well if it isn't my little brother Eames." Colin grinned and enveloped Eames in a hug. Eames scowled at the little brother comment, but quickly reciprocated the hug.

"So what's this job that you want us in on?" Eames quickly cut to the chase, eyeing his brother suspiciously.

"Why don't we wait until everyone is here? Then we can discuss this together and start planning." Colin replied.

"Who else are you expecting?" Eames asked, but was cut off by the door opening.

"Ariadne?" Arthur's shocked voice caused Eames to turn and stare at the architect.

"Arthur? Eames? What are you doing here?" Ariadne asked, surprise evident in her voice. She walked cautiously towards Arthur and shot a look at Colin, who she now realized looked a lot like Eames.

"Whoa, whoa, wait. Colin is your brother?" Ariadne pointed at Eames, shaking her head in disbelief. She dropped her small messenger bag and closed her eyes.

"I think I need to sit down." Ariadne mumbled to herself.

"Ariadne, what are you doing here?" Arthur asked again.

"Well Colin asked me to be the architect on this job he is doing. I just met him on the plane." Ariadne answered, still overwhelmed by the strangeness of it all.

"And you just agree to work with people you've never met!" Arthur raised his voice and Ariadne narrowed her eyes at him.

"Arthur, I know how to handle myself. It's fine." Ariadne calmly replied, trying not to let her anger take over her.

Arthur closed his eyes and clenched his fists, wondering just what she might be getting herself into. Colin and Eames were eerily similar, and jobs that Colin took were never easy. He opened his eyes to see Ariadne watching him curiously. He nodded and turned back to Colin.

"So is this all?" Eames asked.

"No, actually we have one more person. Should be here any minute. Arthur, you're familiar with our extractor I believe." Colin replied.

Arthur stiffened and Ariadne noticed this. She frowned and moved to stand next to him. The door creaked open and the four of them turned to see who entered.

Arthur gasped.

"Arthur?" The voice asked, shocked.

Arthur gulped, stealing a glance at Ariadne before turning back to the newest person in the room.

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**Oooh, cliffhanger. You all are probably hating me for it, but I had to do it :P Oh and as for the bashing Eames gave to New Mexico, I live in Santa Fe, so I have a right to bash on it if I want...haha...Anyways, leave your reviews! Also, the titles of the chapters are titles of songs, see if you all can guess the band! :D Just a little author/reader interaction I want to try...review please! **


	5. Do You Know What I'm Seeing

**So after that nasty cliffhanger, here is the next chapter. I hope some answers get answered. There was one of you who did guess right about the mysterious person, kudos to you! :D Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter, and prepare for some drama to ensue from here! Uh oh! Read and review!**

**Let's see, I can try to buy Inception from Christopher Nolan, but I would be in debt for the rest of my life...so I don't own it...just the plot to this story, and the characters I made up.

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"Chloe." Arthur whispered as he stared wide-eyed at the woman standing in the doorway. Ariadne shot a confused look at Arthur and returned her gaze to the woman.

Chloe was a tall blonde woman with green eyes. Her hair was curled, resting on her shoulders and her lips were curved up in a beautiful smile. Ariadne couldn't help but feel intimidated and insecure compared to her, but she didn't let any of that show.

"Arthur, it's been a long time." Chloe said as she stepped towards him. Ariadne quietly turned around and moved to stand next to Eames. She felt like she was intruding in a private moment.

"Five years." Arthur confirmed as he watched Chloe come to a stop a foot away from him. He swallowed and completely forgot about everyone else in the room.

"How have you been?" Chloe asked him nervously.

"Fine. I've been fine." Arthur replied, a huge grin forming as the shock of seeing her began to wear off. "And you?"

Chloe smiled. "I'm doing alright."

Eames cleared his throat and Arthur and Chloe snapped out of their thoughts and gazes and turned to look at the other people in the room. Eames and Colin were standing with their arms crossed and eyebrows raised. With them standing like this they looked almost like twins. Arthur looked around and noticed that Ariadne was no longer in the room.

"So now that your cheesy love fest is over, can we get started? Or do we need to get you a room?" Eames jeered and Colin scowled.

"Sorry." Chloe blushed and looked at Colin, shooting him an apologizing look.

"Where'd that bloody architect go?" Colin forcefully asked, clearly upset with the exchange between Arthur and Chloe. Eames frowned and Arthur glared at Colin.

"That 'bloody architect' has a name you know? Her name's Ariadne. Ariadne." Arthur angrily replied.

"Whatever." Colin said before turning to take a seat. Eames sighed, already knowing he was going to be caught in the middle of this strange love triangle, or circle, whatever it was.

"I'll go get her." Eames quickly replied, wanting to get out of the tense room.

"No, I can." Arthur offered. Eames waved his hand as he made his way to one of the rooms in the warehouse.

"Go catch up with Chloe, I'll get Ariadne." He called over his shoulder. Arthur watched Eames retreating form before turning back to Chloe who quickly pulled him into a hug.

"I've missed you." She whispered, tightening her grip on him. Arthur wrapped his arms around her and sighed.

"I've missed you too."

Ariadne was sitting in one of the rooms that had been set up while Arthur and Chloe were greeting each other. She hated that strange feeling of jealousy that took over when she saw the way they looked at each other. She really had no right to be jealous. She and Arthur were co-workers. Strictly professional. She sighed and let her head fall into her hands. She sat there until she heard the door open.

"Hey there love. What are you doing back here?" Eames asked, taking a seat next to her on the bed.

"I'm just tired, thought I'd check out this room and bring my stuff here. I'll probably use this room during the preparation." Ariadne lied. Eames eyed her and shook his head.

"I can tell you're lying."

Ariadne glared at him and frowned. "I just wanted to give them a private moment." She answered, not completely lying.

"Ah. I see." Eames replied in a knowing voice.

"See what?" Ariadne quickly asked.

"Nothing darling. You can come out now. We're going to get ready to start going over the plans."

"Who is she?" Ariadne blurted out, watching Eames intently.

"She's our extractor." Eames answered, his gaze never leaving hers.

"Eames, you know what I mean. Who is she to Arthur?"

Eames sighed and looked away for a second before returning his gaze.

"She's Arthur ex. They dated for a while, he proposed, she said no. End of story."

"They seem friendly for having ended that way."

"Well they were best friends for a few years and when she turned him down they agreed that they'd stay friends. Although they haven't contacted each other at all since then. It may be because Colin and Chloe did have this weird thing going on. It never became official or anything. In fact I think it's still going on. I don't know though, Colin doesn't talk about it much." Eames informed her.

"That would explain why he seems so upset right now." Ariadne said in realization.

"Yeah. Chloe didn't want a commitment. My brother surprisingly did. They've been working together for three years now. I can already tell this is going to be messy."

Both Eames and Ariadne became quiet, too deep in thoughts to say anything. They could hear faint voices through the door, but they couldn't make out what they were saying.

"Maybe I shouldn't do this." Ariadne finally spoke up.

"Do what?" Eames half-heartedly asked.

"Be the architect for this job."

"Whoa. Don't make any rash decisions based on emotions darling." Eames stood up at stared at her. She avoided his gaze.

"I'm not. I just think things could get…complicated with me around and it would make the job easier. If things are already going to be tense because of Colin and Chloe, I won't be any better."

"Ariadne, you're the best architect out there. We need you. And if I didn't know better, I would detect a hint of jealousy."

"What? No!" Ariadne shrieked.

"Judging by your reaction, I'm right." Eames smirked and crossed his arms.

"Arthur and I…we're co-workers. Nothing more. It's strictly platonic." Ariadne quickly replied.

"You keep telling yourself that." Eames shook his head, but quickly became serious.

"Ariadne, you'll be fine. Like I said, you're the best. We need you."

Ariadne sighed and nodded. "Alright."

"And if you need anything, anything at all, I'm here." Eames opened his arms and she rolled her eyes before moving into his hug.

"Thanks Eames."

"No problem darling. Now let's go. I'm sure the others will be talking right now." Eames winked at her and she punched him playfully.

"Wait." Ariadne stopped Eames, a mischievous look on her face.

"Oh, I like that look. What do you have in mind?" Eames asked, a twinkle in his eye.

* * *

Arthur had been eyeing the door ever since Eames walked into it ten minutes ago. He was wondering what was taking them so long.

"What is Eames doing in there?" Colin asked impatiently, tapping his foot. Arthur shot him a look and frowned.

"Nothing, he's just getting her." Arthur replied.

"Oh yeah. And that takes twenty minutes?" Colin scoffed and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes.

"Colin…Eames is a grown man, he can do what he wants with whoever he wants." Chloe spoke up.

Arthur tensed at her words and stood up. Chloe watched him suspiciously. Colin just shook his head and allowed himself to relax.

"Arthur, are you alright?" Chloe asked as soon as he began pacing.

"What? Oh, I'm fine. I'm just going to go get them. We need to start soon." Arthur quickly replied and briskly walked to the room.

* * *

"You're cruel." Eames shook his head proudly. "Shh! I hear footsteps. It sounds like Arthur."

Ariadne nodded and moved to sit on Eames lap, running her hands through his hair and kissing him. The door opened and Arthur practically shouted at Eames.

"Eames! What the hell are you doing?"

Ariadne and Eames jumped apart and Arthur grabbed Eames by the collar.

"Hey hey. Easy there. This is a new shirt." Eames calmly replied.

Ariadne just watched as Arthur angrily pulled Eames up from his sitting position.

"What's wrong with you?" Arthur growled and Eames smirked.

"Now calm down. We're just pulling your leg." Eames chuckled and Arthur released his grip on Eames and turned to look at Ariadne who was red from holding in her laughter.

"What?" Arthur stood there, looking from Ariadne to Eames.

Ariadne burst out laughing. "You think I'd actually go out with Eames?"

"Hey!" Eames protested good-naturedly.

"You're like a brother to me Eames." Ariadne turned to him and smiled, both knowing that she was right.

"It's my pleasure." Eames bowed and Ariadne smiled, moving to give him a hug. Arthur just watched the whole exchange in shock and confusion.

Eames walked up to Arthur and patted his back, whispering in his ear.

"I'd never take or try to take your woman." Arthur froze and felt his neck getting hot and his cheeks turning red.

Ariadne followed Eames out and Arthur trailed not far behind, shaking his head. This only proved to him that Ariadne would be the death of him, and Eames would help encourage her.

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**Hehe! I had to pull Arthur's leg. Heck, I'd do it! Plus I think Eames would enjoy it too much for him to pass up if Ariadne suggested it. So I had to throw that in there. I thought it was funny. So what'd you think? I'm already working on more chapters, so I already have an idea about where I want this to go and what will happen, but I haven't gotten too far yet. So be on the lookout for more chapters soon! and leave a review! **


	6. Say Anything Else

**I'm so glad you all liked the last chapter. And I have been writing ahead, so I'm pretty much half way through the story, but I don't want to just throw out chapters everyday. I would like to finish it before it all gets posted. Anyways, here is the next chapter. Hope you all like it. Drama will soon be happening! :O Read and review please! :)**

**I can keep telling myself I own Inception, but that won't change anything...it's not mine.

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"It's about time. Eames, I've never known you to be the kind of guy to take his time." Colin teased as the three of them walked out. Ariadne blushed and looked away, avoiding Chloe's curious eyes.

"Shut up Colin!" Eames snapped. "Ariadne and I were just having a talk."

"Right. And that's why Arthur began shouting at you guys." Colin raised his eyebrows and looked at Ariadne.

"We were just pulling his leg." Eames grinned and turned to Arthur, who still looked angry.

"So you're Ariadne huh?" Chloe finally spoke up, her scrutinizing gaze never leaving the short brunette.

Ariadne smiled. "Yes I am. Nice to meet you." Ariadne stuck out her for a hand shake, ignoring the look Chloe was giving her.

Arthur watched the exchange nervously. Chloe had always been extremely judgmental of other girls in Arthur's life, especially if they were close to him.

Chloe hesitantly held out her hand to her and shook it, noticing Arthur's nervous expression as she interacted with Ariadne.

"My pleasure." Chloe smiled at Ariadne. Ariadne let out a relieved sigh after turning around and returning to her place next to Eames.

"So Arthur, you've never told me about Ariadne." Chloe looked up at Arthur innocently, but he knew what she was doing. She was trying to intimidate her and make her feel bad.

Ariadne straightened up and looked at Eames who was shaking his head.

"Ariadne worked with me on a job recently. We've known each other for a few months." Arthur replied.

"Just a few months? That's a shame. Arthur really is a great guy." Chloe turned to Ariadne.

"Yes, he is. An excellent teacher and Point Man." Ariadne smiled at Arthur, her eyes softening as she gave him praise. Arthur rubbed his neck nervously and blushed, missing the glare Chloe gave Ariadne.

"You taught her? Isn't that the extractor's job?" Chloe's eyes narrowed. Arthur turned to Chloe.

"Cobb was…distracted, and busy. I had to help train her." Arthur replied calmly.

"Cobb was out recruiting me and I also brought him to our chemist. We were in Mombasa for a few days, and time couldn't be wasted, so Arthur here stepped up and took her under his wing." Eames stepped in quickly, not wanting things to get ugly for Ariadne.

"Chemist? Who was your chemist?" Colin asked eagerly. Arthur and Eames both let out a breath they hadn't realized they were holding. Thankfully Colin picked up on the bait and distracted Chloe from the conversation they were having.

"Yusuf. He's great, really. Isn't one for going into the field, but he will if needed." Arthur informed Colin.

"He even created his own sedative for our specific job." Ariadne eagerly said, her eyes glowing with admiration for the chemist.

"Can you get a hold of him? I'd like him in on this job." Colin asked, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"I'll call him." Eames pulled out his phone and walked away.

"Chloe, go get the plans that we have so far." Colin ordered. She nodded and walked out of the warehouse.

Arthur took this opportunity to pull Ariadne aside. "I'm sorry about Chloe. She can be…harsh. I don't want her to get to you. Don't let her. She's always had this problem, especially with other women in my life."

Ariadne looked at him curiously. "You obviously have a past with her. What happened?"

Arthur tensed. "That's not important."

"Yes it is. Eames gave me a short story, but there obviously is more to it." Ariadne hissed, not letting him get out of telling her.

"It's a story for another time." Arthur tried brushing it off again, but Ariadne wouldn't have it.

"Well it's a story that I have time for. Tonight meet me at my place." Ariadne told him before walking off and taking a seat on one of the lawn chairs and crossing her arms. Arthur sighed and followed her, taking a seat next to her.

"Yusuf said he won't be able to make it until Wednesday. Something about family…" Eames came back into the room and flopped onto the empty lawn chair next to Arthur.

Chloe walked in with notebooks and files. She handed each of the members a folder to look at and leaned against the desk Colin was sitting at.

"Now, we all know what we're doing right?" Colin asked.

Ariadne nodded, but Eames and Arthur shook their heads.

"Well basically we're going to erase some of the Mark's memories. Her name is Jamie Strauss. She had a hard childhood and would rather not live through those memories. She has nightmares about them and sometimes she has strong reactions towards certain things that remind her of the past. She hired me to get rid of those memories. The thing is, I don't know how to do it." Colin looked at Eames and Arthur carefully, both of them having really good poker faces.

"Well we better get started on figuring out how to do this then." Eames spoke up, flipping through the files. "Will we really need to forge into anyone for this?"

"Not necessarily, but forging into someone she trusts might help us in the dream." Colin said.

Eames nodded, already formulating a plan. "Is she married?"

"No. She has a problem trusting some men, so it would probably be best if you forged into a close female friend of hers. Ariadne and Chloe, you two will have to be with her the most. Distract her while we try to erase those memories."

Arthur shook his head. "No, Ariadne stays with either Eames or me."

Chloe's head snapped up and she frowned. "What, you don't trust her with me?"

"No it's not that."

"Hello, I'm right here." Ariadne reminded them that she was sitting right next to them and talking about her as if she weren't in the room.

"I know." Arthur told her before turning back to Chloe. "It's not that I don't trust you, but she doesn't have as much shooting experience and self-defense experience. I'd feel more comfortable if she were with one of us."

"Well why don't you teach me how to shoot? Maybe teach me how to defend myself. I don't want to be the lost puppy that needs protection." Ariadne said, a bit of venom in her voice. She hated being talked about as if she couldn't take care of herself.

"We can do that, but I still would feel better if you were with one of us." Arthur turned to her. "I'll gladly teach you how to handle a weapon, shoot a gun, teach you self defense, but like I said, I'd feel better if you were close by."

"Next you're going to tell me not to go into the dream." Ariadne mumbled as she shot Eames a look asking for help. Eames raised his hands, telling her not to get him involved with this.

"Fine. But just know that I can handle myself." Ariadne gave in and huffed, hating feeling like the weak link.

Chloe gave her a disgusted look and turned back to her notes.

"Ok, so Ariadne will be with either Eames or Arthur in this. Chloe and I will try to erase some of the memories and the rest of you will work on other ones."

"How many levels will there be?" Ariadne asked, getting into her architect mode.

"I'm not sure yet. Arthur, can you do some research and see how far deep we'd have to go in to erase memories?" Colin asked.

"I would assume we'd have to go at least three levels deep." Arthur replied.

"I agree with Arthur here, to get rid of memories completely is a job that involves going in deep. "

"Is that safe, or will we drop into limbo if we die?" Ariadne asked drily. Colin looked at the tree of them, worry on his face.

"What? Limbo?"

"If we're too heavily sedated to wake up when we die, we'll drop into limbo, unless Yusuf can create a sedative that allows us to wake up. Going in deep involves heavy sedation, that's really my only concern." Arthur replied.

"Have Yusuf figure something out. I don't want to drop into bloody limbo just because I die in a dream." Colin muttered. "Everyone else, start getting to work. She wants us to perform this job on her in two months." Colin stood up and grabbed his things before walking out of the building.

"So drinks?" Eames asked, raising his eyebrows and looking at everyone.

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**So I didn't intend for Chloe to be so mean, but as I started writing, that's just how it happened. So I guess there's no turning back now. Haha. Anywho...did you enjoy this chapter? Any ideas/suggestions for me in the future chapters? Reviews are greatly appreciated! And thank you all who are consistent reviewers and who are still reading and sticking with me! Drop a note! :D**


	7. Two More Lonely People

**I have a delay tomorrow, which means my first class is canceled and I get to post this chapter! :D I'm glad you're liking this story and some of the relationships I have put in here. So here is chapter 7 for you all! Enjoy and leave a review!**

**Inception isn't mine...sadly.

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Ariadne stood up and looked at Arthur, questioning him with her eyes. He was supposed to talk to her tonight and she was making sure he didn't break his promise.

"Oh yes! Let's go for drinks! Come on Arthur, we have so much catching up to do!" Chloe walked over to Arthur and laced her arm through his. He shot Ariadne a look, but she had turned to Eames and nodded.

"Why not, I'm not going to stay long though." Ariadne told Eames and he nodded in understanding and offered his arm to her, she took it and they walked out in silence.

"Chloe, can you please tone it down. You don't need to be so rude to Ariadne." Arthur said to her once Ariadne and Eames were out of hearing range.

"I'm not being rude." Chloe protested.

"Chloe, just stop. Ariadne hasn't done anything to you, and she's going to be working with us on this job. You need to at least act civil to her, which you have failed multiple times in the last half hour."

Chloe nodded curtly and walked out of the building with Arthur. They found Ariadne and Eames waiting for them outside, chatting quietly. Ariadne looked upset and Eames was looking at her sympathetically.

"So where are we headed?" Chloe asked.

"I think I'm just going to head home." Ariadne tilted her head, indicating that she was going to leave.

"What? No, come on. Just a few drinks." Chloe stepped next to her and grabbed her arm gently, tugging on her to join them.

Ariadne stared at Chloe in disbelief before nodding. "Alright, just a few drinks."

"Awesome. Eames, lead the way." Chloe motioned for Eames to take the lead. He nodded and began walking in front of them.

"Why Eames?" Arthur asked, feigning hurt.

"Because Eames knows all the best bars around here." Chloe replied, smiling at Eames.

"Now Ariadne, I trust that you're able to hold some liquor in you. Or are you a complete lightweight? You're so tiny, I can imagine what happens when you drink." Eames teased.

Ariadne, removing herself from Chloe's grip, scoffed. "I'll have you know, I was actually one of the best at holding liquor at the college. Not that I drank often, but when I did, no one could beat me." Ariadne beamed.

"Well, it looks like our little architect has a wild side." Eames nodded at her, impressed.

"No getting drunk tonight. We have work to do in the morning and we won't be able to do any work with hangovers our ancestors will be able to feel." Arthur warned them. Eames just waved Arthur off and Ariadne rolled her eyes, knowing that she wasn't planning on getting drunk.

"Loosen up a little bit Arthur." Chloe patted Arthur's cheek and Arthur swatted her hand away, scowling playfully. Chloe laughed and Arthur grinned at her, his posture becoming more relaxed. Ariadne noticed this and frowned. It's the most relaxed she had ever seen Arthur and it was because of Chloe.

"She's right Arthur. Live a little." Eames nodded in agreement. "Ah, here we are. Let's go have some fun."

"Karaoke night?" Ariadne asked, excitement evident in her voice.

"You sing, love?" Eames asked and Arthur was watching her curiously.

"Oh, well uh, yeah. I play guitar too. I'm not great or anything, it's mostly just for fun." Ariadne blushed and walked to the counter, ordering herself an apple martini.

"Looks like you two have a lot more in common than you think." Eames quietly told Arthur as he walked past him to sit next to Ariadne.

Arthur smiled to himself and followed Chloe to where Eames and Ariadne were sitting.

Halfway through the night the karaoke started and Chloe and Eames were quite drunk, to Arthur's dismay.

"Do you sing?" Ariadne finally asked Arthur while Chloe and Eames were up singing.

Arthur shrugged. "Some. I haven't in years though."

"Really? Do you play an instrument?"

Arthur shifted in his seat uncomfortable. "Yes. I play the drums, guitar, bass, and piano."

"Wow! Why haven't I ever heard you play?" Ariadne asked. Arthur avoided her eager gaze and took a sip of his drink.

"I haven't played or sung in years." He finally replied, shrugging and turning his gaze to Eames and Chloe.

"Why not? Obviously you have a talent, you should be using it." Ariadne reasoned and watched him carefully.

Arthur took another sip of his drink and frowned. He was about to answer her when Eames called Ariadne over to sing with him. Ariadne smiled and stood up, eagerly making her way to the small stage.

Chloe sat clumsily on the stool next to Arthur and ordered another drink. Arthur frowned at her.

"I thought I told you not to be getting drunk tonight?"

"Oh, calm down Artie!" She giggled as she took a drink of her margarita.

"Don't call me that." Arthur scowled. "You know we have a lot of work to get done. We can't be working with hangovers. Our best work won't get done that way."

"Lighten up." Chloe glared at Arthur and rolled her eyes as she watched Eames and Ariadne sing.

"I don't see what you see in her Arthur. She's not pretty, she's short, and she's awkward."

Arthur inhaled deeply, calming down himself. He loved Chloe, like a sister, at one point as more, but she was really pushing his buttons.

"You don't know her." Arthur simply replied.

"Thank God." Chloe snorted.

"Chloe, seriously, stop." Arthur stood up and was about to leave when Ariadne and Eames appeared next to him.

"Hey, what's going on?" Eames slurred.

"Nothing. I was just going to get some air." Arthur lied.

"Hey Arthur, you should go sing something." Ariadne suggested. Eames laughed and Chloe rolled her eyes.

"I'd rather not."

"Oh come on. I'll sing with you if that will make you feel better." Ariadne offered. Arthur hesitated for a moment but shook his head.

"No. I can't."

"Come on Arthur. Remember how we used to do karaoke all the time? You used to play guitar and sing for me too. What do you say? Let's do it. For old times' sake?" Chloe stood up and held out her hand to him.

Arthur reluctantly took it, being dragged on stage by Chloe. Ariadne watched the whole thing in shock. Arthur had just turned her down, but he went with Chloe. She sat down, not believing what happened. Eames placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed comfortingly. He grabbed his drink and turned his eyes to the small stage.

When Ariadne heard Arthur's voice singing she looked up, anger and hurt forming in her. Arthur really did have a great voice, but she just couldn't sit here and be rejected by him and constantly be scrutinized by Chloe. It was becoming too much for her. She felt tears of anger welling up in her eyes and quickly gathered her stuff. She paid for her drinks, throwing the bills on the counter, and slung her bag over her shoulder.

"You're leaving?" Eames asked. Ariadne nodded and bit her lip.

"I just need to get away from this right now. Clear my head a bit and think things through."

"Are you staying at your house?"

"Yeah, just for tonight. I'll bring everything I need tomorrow. For the rest of the time I'll probably just crash in one of the bedrooms. It will be easier on me." Ariadne replied.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" Eames asked, ready to leave if she asked him to.

"No, I'll be fine. Have fun." Ariadne waved to him before walking out of the bar, not bothering to look back at Arthur or Chloe.

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**So yeah, a little drama. A certain Point Man really has to think about what he wants...haha. Again, Chloe wasn't intended to be rude and mean. In fact, she was supposed to be really sweet and Ariadne and her were meant to get along, but when I started writing Chloe turned out to be so mean...oh well, it just sets up the next chapters to where I want them to go. Thanks for all the reviews! They mean so much to me! **


	8. Do You Know

**Yay! Here's another chapter! I'm so excited about the response for this story! Thank you all for reading and keeping up with my writing. So here is the next chapter! The story is coming alone nicely. I'm already on Chapter 16, and boy are things getting intense! :D So for now read and review and I'll post another chapter soon! **

**I wish I could Forge into Christopher Nolan, but I can't...so Inception isn't mine. Just this storyline.

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Ariadne inhaled the fresh air as soon as she stepped outside. She could feel the tension inside and she couldn't handle it anymore. In all honesty, she was furious with Arthur. He was letting Chloe treat her like crap and push him around. It frustrated her.

_There has to be more to the story than Eames told me. I just wonder what happened. Arthur's never like this. He's never been a push over. And why would he let her treat me so badly? I thought he liked me, after all he did kiss me…_

Ariadne let out an exasperated sigh and kicked a rock on the sidewalk.

"So much for that talk." She mumbled to herself. She really didn't want to talk to Arthur right now anyways. And she wasn't sure how she was going to handle working with Chloe and him.

"What are you doing out here alone?"

Ariadne spun around only to find Colin sitting on a bench.

"Colin. What are you doing here?"

"I believe I asked you that first." Colin chuckled. Ariadne smiled.

"I'm heading home." Ariadne replied.

"You guys stayed that late?"

"Well we went for drinks." Ariadne said.

"Ah, so my brother convinced you guys to go. Typical Eames." Colin scoffed.

"Well he suggested it. Chloe insisted we go." Ariadne didn't want to lie to Colin, but she also felt bad about informing him about Chloe. There was something strange going on between them too and she was already feeling uncomfortable with it.

"Yes. She's changed a lot over the past couple years." Colin sighed.

"What happened?" She asked, curiosity getting the best of her.

"That my dear, is a story for another time." Colin said, standing up and patting her on the back. "Go get some sleep. We have a lot to get done."

Ariadne nodded and waved to him. "Goodnight Colin."

"Goodnight darling."

Ariadne blinked and shook her head, still not able to grasp the fact that he and Eames were so much alike even though they're brothers.

She continued her walk home, internally debating whether or not to give Arthur the cold shoulder, talk to him as if nothing happened, or only answer his questions when he asked.

She sighed and decided that ignoring him completely might not be the best way to deal with things, she was supposed to be mature after all. But she wanted to ignore him. It would make her feel better and teach Arthur a lesson.

When she reached her small apartment, she had decided that she would only interact with Arthur if he talked to her first, she wouldn't bother with asking to talk to him, and if possible she'd get all her work done and leave as soon as she could.

If she was being immature, she was ok with it, but Arthur really did hurt her, especially after giving her the impression that he actually cared about her and wanted something more to develop from their friendship.

She laid in bed, her eyes drooping slowly. Her last thought before she fell asleep was of Arthur and what could have been.

* * *

Arthur was angry with Chloe, but mostly with himself. He let himself get manipulated my Chloe and their past. She was the one who ended it after all. He shook his head, not happy with himself. He broke his promise to Ariadne that they would talk about his past, and all this because he couldn't say no to Chloe.

Both Eames and Chloe could sense Arthur's uneasiness, but neither dared to ask him about it.

"Hey, I think I'm going to head out." Eames finally said. Arthur looked at him and nodded.

"Have a good night Eames."

Chloe stood up and placed her hand on Arthur's shoulder. "You ready?"

Arthur looked up at her and shrugged her hand off his shoulder.

"Chloe go ahead and leave. Get some rest."

"Aren't you going to walk me to my hotel?" She asked.

"No. You can make it there yourself." Arthur stood up and paid his tab. She frowned at him and nodded.

"If this is about her, you should just let it go."

"Chloe, leave now before I say something I'll regret." Arthur said through clenched teeth.

Chloe's mouth fell open and she nodded, walking out of the bar clumsily. Arthur felt bad about making Chloe go to her hotel alone, but he knew well that she was very independent and only asked for help when she wanted something. She easily manipulated people.

Arthur quickly left the bar and headed to the warehouse. He wanted to talk to Ariadne, to apologize not only for his actions, but for Chloe's. He just wasn't sure if it would make a difference.

"You know, if you keep letting her take control of you like that you're going to lose Ariadne and you'll just end up back where you started with her." Eames voice boomed from behind him.

"Jeez! Don't do that! How long were you behind me?" Arthur asked, clearing his throat and regaining his composure.

"About five minutes now. Don't change the subject. You know what I'm talking about." Eames sternly replied.

Arthur sighed. "You think she's mad at me?"

"Oh yeah. Pissed actually." Eames nodded.

"Great."

"Why you were ever with Chloe, I'll never understand."

"She was different back then. I don't know what happened. She changed, she's still changing." Arthur said.

"Colin has said the same thing." Eames frowned.

"She was never this bad at manipulating people. She used to be really kind too. I just don't know what went wrong." Arthur shook his head.

"I suggest you talk to Ariadne. She deserves it. And by the way she looked when she left, you're really going to have to push to get through to her. She opened up for you and you rejected her. She's not happy about it."

"And how would you know?" Arthur snapped.

"I'm a very approachable guy. She trusts me. And I'm not the one she's in love with so she confides in me."

"She's not in love with me." Arthur protested.

"Oh right, and you don't love her either." Eames scoffed.

"I barely met her a few months ago. No one can fall in love that fast."

"If you don't let yourself…or let them fall in love with you."

"What would you know about love?" Arthur sneered and instantly regretted it.

"You may find me completely heartless, but I'm not. If you don't want my advice, then go ahead and watch her be swept away by some other man. But if you'll listen to me, things will go great for the both of you. It's all up to you. Good night Arthur, and I do hope you can learn how to take that stick out of your…"

"Goodnight Eames." Arthur cut him off. Eames chuckled and disappeared into the shadows.

Arthur knew Eames was right he just had to figure out a way to get through to Ariadne.

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**So what are your thoughts on this chapter? Review please! And if you have any suggestions or ideas, let me know! :D**


	9. If It Works

**Here is the next chapter! Someone mentioned that they wished the chapters were longer, but for this story I'm having shorter chapters. Shorter chapters means faster updates, and I'm getting ahead in writing too. So sorry about the shorter chapters. Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter. There isn't anything too exciting in it, but it's an update. I plan on getting the next chapter up either later tonight or tomorrow. I haven't decided yet. So read and review!**

**I don't know how many times I've said this, but I don't own Inception...*tear*

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Ariadne woke up early the next day, deciding to take her time to get ready and head to the warehouse. If she were correct, two of the four teammates would be awaiting her with hangovers. She wouldn't be surprised if Eames didn't have one though. He did manage to stay as sober as one could when drinking so much.

She took a shower and grabbed a pair of dark jeans, a white blouse, and a navy blue scarf. She tied her hair to the side in a loose pony tail, letting it fall down her shoulder, her curls drying. Before leaving she grabbed her messenger bag, sketchbooks, supplies, and keys before making her way to a small café to get some coffee and a few scones.

It was a nice day in Paris and she was enjoying her walk to the warehouse, not allowing herself to think of the disastrous night she had with Chloe and Arthur. If it weren't for Eames, she probably would have left screaming, maybe even crying.

She bit into one of her scones and picked up her pace, knowing that she would be late if she let herself get distracted by the lovely weather and scenery.

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Arthur tossed and turned all night. He couldn't fall asleep and all he could think about was Ariadne. By four in the morning he decided to get up and take an early morning jog. He needed to clear his head and enjoy the fresh air. When he closed the door to his room, he could hear Eames snoring in the room across from his. He frowned and pulled on a sweatshirt before going outside and starting his run.

He had plenty of time to think about what he was going to say to Ariadne, but in the end he found that he wasn't sure where to start. Maybe apologizing first would be the best option to go with.

When Arthur arrived back at the warehouse, Colin was already awake at five in the morning. He definitely was opposite of Eames. Eames was more of a night person. Arthur quietly laughed to himself when he passed Colin and headed to the bathroom.

Arthur showered and decided to try to get at least a couple hours of sleep before everyone else arrived. The long run helped him relax and his body was tired, so he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

When Arthur woke up it was already eight and he heard some quiet voices coming from the main room. He shot up and looked around him, afraid that he slept later than he intended to. He sighed in relief when he saw that it was just turning eight and he jumped out of bed to get ready. Within ten minutes he was dressed, his hair was slicked back, he had shaved, and he had everything he needed to start gathering information.

He made his way out of the room and noticed that Colin and Ariadne were the only ones there and they were talking quietly. She had a grin on her face and she was holding her coffee close to her. Colin looked up and smiled.

"Well, well, look who finally decided to join us. I'm surprised you weren't out here earlier." Colin smirked.

"I fell asleep for a couple of hours." Arthur replied and Colin nodded. Arthur looked at Ariadne who was clearly avoiding his eyes and he could tell she was trying to avoid any conversation and contact with him.

"Good morning Ariadne. I assume you slept well." Arthur smiled at her.

"Morning Arthur. Yes I did, thank you." She replied, taking a sip of her coffee and playing with her scarf. Arthur sighed and frowned, wanting to get a chance to talk to her alone.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Arthur asked, gently grabbing her arm. She tried to pull away, but Arthur wouldn't let go of her arm.

"Can't this wait? I have things to do." Ariadne hissed.

Arthur shook his head. "No, we should talk now."

"Good morning Arthur!" Chloe's voice pierced through the tense air. Arthur visibly slouched and released his grip from Ariadne. He turned to Chloe and smiled.

"Hi Chloe. How was the rest of your night?" He asked, humoring her.

"Oh it was lovely. I slept like a baby." She grinned.

"Well you should have. You drank enough." Ariadne muttered to herself and stood up, making her way to her desk. Arthur followed her with his eyes and took a step towards her, but Chloe stopped him.

"Arthur, I owe you an apology. The way I acted last night was wrong. I'm sorry."

"It's not me you owe and apology to." Arthur raised his eyebrows and watched her carefully.

She sighed and nodded. "I'll talk to her later."

"Why don't you do it now?" Arthur asked, crossing his arms.

"It seems she has company." Chloe nodded towards where Colin and Ariadne were talking.

"It's just Colin. And you really should talk to him too."

"Alright. I'll talk to them both." Chloe raised her hands in defeat and walked to Ariadne's desk.

"Colin, I need to talk to Ariadne for a minute."

Colin nodded and walked to Eames room, banging on the door to wake him up.

"Eames! Get out of your bloody bed and come meet with us!"

"Shut up!" Eames angry voice came from inside the room. Colin smirked and walked back to his desk.

"So Ariadne. I owe you an apology. Yesterday I was completely rude to you and I'm sorry. You know what it's like to meet women. They're hard to trust." Chloe smiled at her and Ariadne watched her warily.

"It's alright." Ariadne nodded and turned back to her work. "Plus if we're going to be working together we need to be civil to each other." She added.

"You're right. And I hope we can start over. Friends?" Chloe asked, holding her hand out. Ariadne hesitated before shaking her hand and smiling.

"I better get back to work." Ariadne gestured to her layouts and Chloe nodded.

"Oh right! Sorry. I'll just be over here." Chloe walked off and Ariadne let out the breath she was holding. Something about Chloe made her feel uneasy and uncomfortable. And it wasn't because she was Arthur's ex girlfriend either, there was something wrong about her. She could tell Chloe really didn't want to be friends, she was just doing it for Arthur.

"Good morning darling." Eames raspy voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"Eames, you're awake. How are you feeling?" She asked.

"Bloody headache hurts like hell. No thanks to Colin!" Eames turned and shouted at Colin, who just laughed at him and waved him off.

Ariadne giggled and turned her attention back to her work. Eames leaned against her desk and she glared at him.

"So have you talked to Arthur yet?" He asked.

"No. He just told me good morning, said he wanted to talk, and then blondie over there walked in." She made a face when she mentioned Chloe. Eames chuckled.

"Well she is one for attention. I think you should give Arthur a chance. Let him talk to you. He might have something good to say." Eames replied.

"Well if he really wants to talk to me, he'll show it." Ariadne bitterly said.

"That he will." Eames nodded and pushed himself off of her desk. "Just remember not to be too harsh with him. He has a hard time giving his heart away."

Ariadne watched as Eames walked away and she allowed her eyes to scan the room and fall on Arthur who was already typing away on his laptop. She sighed and sat down, crossing her arms. This was going to be a difficult day.

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**So yeah, pretty uneventful. But it will get better. I promise! What did you think? Leave a review! And hopefully the next chapter will be up later tonight or tomorrow! Thanks for reading!**


	10. Quequ'un M'a Dit

**With such an uneventful and boring chapter, I decided that I should go ahead and upload this chapter. So here it is! A little more interesting. So I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for all the reviews so far! Much appreciated!**

**Nope. Inception isn't mine.

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Arthur couldn't stay focused. He noticed when Ariadne would stop working on her layouts and stare at him before sighing in frustration and going back to work. If Ariadne wasn't so mad at him he'd find it amusing.

Every once in a while Arthur would stop typing and stare at Ariadne, noticing everything about her. The way she bit her lip when she was trying to figure something out. The way she fiddled with her scarf when she was thinking. Her eyes would twinkle when she figured something out, and her brown hair would move effortlessly with her.

Arthur sighed and rubbed his face, trying to concentrate on the information in front of him. It was difficult, especially when he noticed Chloe watching him. He looked at her and smiled. Embarrassed that Arthur caught her staring, she looked away.

"I don't know about all of you, but I'm starving." Eames stretched from where he was sitting and everyone turned to look at him.

"I am too. Why don't you go get some food little brother?" Colin asked and grinned, knowing Eames hated when he called him that.

"Me? Why me?" Eames whined.

"I'll do it." Ariadne was already up and gathering her things. She was hoping to get some fresh air and have time to herself to think about what was going on with Arthur.

"I'll go with you." Arthur stood up and grabbed his jacket. Ariadne stood there, thinking of some kind of excuse, but came up with none. She turned to Eames subtly, pretending to look for something, and he winked at her. She sighed and nodded to Arthur.

"Ok." She strode to the door, straightening her posture. She didn't wait to see if Arthur was coming, nor did she dare to turn around and look, but she sensed his presence immediately. It was only confirmed when a hand held the door open for her.

"Aren't you going to ask what we want?" Eames called out from inside. Ariadne stopped and turned around angrily, nearly bumping into Arthur, and glared at Eames. "Or you can bring whatever you think we'll like." Eames mumbled, sitting down.

"I know what most of you like anyways." Arthur called over his shoulder, quickly following Ariadne.

Ariadne stopped out of the warehouse. She didn't bother waiting for Arthur. She knew he would be able to keep up with her. He did have longer legs and strides than she did, so trying to stay in front of him would be a challenge. When she saw Arthur in the corner of her eye she knew that she wouldn't be able to lose him, so she sighed and slowed her pace.

"Ariadne, we really need to talk." Arthur finally spoke up after ten minutes of silence. Ariadne shoved her hand into her pocket and clutched her bishop tightly, her anger starting to seep through her calm exterior.

"There's nothing to talk about Arthur." Ariadne snapped, not wanting to get into it in public.

"Yes there is. You know there is. I owe you an apology." Arthur calmly replied, not wanting to get into a fight with Ariadne.

"Yes you do, but not now. Now is not the time or place Arthur. You should know that." Ariadne quietly told him, looking around.

"I know. I just want you to know that I do want to talk with you Ari."

Ariadne stiffened at his nickname. Very few people called her Ari, and when they did she either snapped at them or let them call her that depending on who they were. She liked the way it rolled off of Arthur's tongue, but she didn't want him to call her that when she was angry with him. It would make her give in, and yet she couldn't stop the fluttering in her stomach, so she let him get away with it.

She crossed her arms and looked both ways before crossing the street. Arthur smirked, knowing that she was thinking about it.

"That's what you say now Arthur, then Chloe will come around and you'll do whatever she says." She finally said.

Arthur frowned. She was right, but he wanted to change that. Chloe couldn't and shouldn't have such a strong hold on him. His decisions shouldn't be based on what Chloe wants or needs to hear.

"Look, I know what happened last night really pissed you off, but I want to fix that."

"Well you're going to have to prove it." She said, ending the conversation and leading him into a small restaurant. Arthur stuck his hand in his jacket pocket and fiddled with his red die. He was deserving of the treatment he was getting, he knew it, but Ariadne was being so stubborn. Eames was right, he was going to have to really work hard and prove to her that he cares about her.

Ariadne quickly ordered enough food for everyone in choppy French. Her accent was awkward, but Arthur found it cute.

"Are you sure everyone will like what you got?" Arthur asked, teasing.

"Trust me, they'll love it." Ariadne answered.

"What did you get me?" Arthur asked curiously.

"You'll just have to wait and see." Ariadne replied defiantly.

Arthur chuckled. "Yes ma'am."

Ariadne scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Don't call me ma'am. It makes me feel old."

"Mademoiselle?" _Miss?_ Arthur asked. Ariadne hid a smile.

"Oui, monsier. Je l'aime beaucoup." _Yes, sir. I like it very much._ Ariadne replied in her choppy French.

"Eh bien il est alors mademoiselle." _Well then, Miss it is._ Arthur answered grinning.

Ariadne was shocked with Arthur's French. He pronounced the words clearly and sounded as if he could be a French native. She blushed when she caught him staring, but quickly looked away and picked up her pace.

"We better hurry. Everyone else is waiting." Ariadne cleared her throat and resumed the attitude she had when they left the warehouse.

Arthur frowned, he had broke through, but she closed off just as quickly as she opened up. He really was going to have to work harder.

When they arrived at the warehouse, Eames and Colin were talking to each other. Colin looked better than he had when they left and Ariadne noticed the absence of Chloe in the room.

"Hey, food's here." Ariadne lifted the bags and walked over to the table, placing the bags down. Eames and Colin rushed over to her and took out the contents, pleased with her choices in food.

"Where's Chloe?" Arthur asked, looking around the room.

"She left ten minutes ago. Said she needed to get some last minute plans done. She'll be back soon." Colin said, his mouth full.

Arthur nodded, hoping Chloe wasn't getting into any trouble. He stole a glance at Ariadne, smiling when he saw her sitting on her desk and munching on a piece of bread. So far the job was proving to be easy, but Arthur had no idea what was to come.

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**So a little conversation between Arthur and Ariadne. I think they needed it. Haha. So what did you all think? Review and let me know! Thanks for reading and for all the reviews! You know who you are. I'm so grateful that you not only take the time to read, but to leave a review. **


	11. Action Is the Anecdote

**This is one of my favorite chapters. You'll all see why. I was going to post something for Valentine's Day, and I still could if I started writing now...we'll see. Anywho, hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks for all the reviews everyone! You all are wonderful and I'm so glad you continue to read my stories! **

**No, I don't own Inception, thank you for reminding me :(

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After Ariadne finished eating she quickly began working on her models. She finished the layouts, deciding to go with a park for the first level, a hotel for the second, and the third level would be an apartment complex in Chicago.

After going through the Mark's files, Ariadne found that Miss Strauss' favorite place was the park and she spent a lot of her time traveling, so hotels were a given. The apartment complex was more difficult. It was a place where Strauss had been looking into buying an apartment, and she seemed to be particularly fond of Chicago, so Ariadne thought it best to throw that into the plans.

Eames grumbled something about having to be women in two of the three levels and sighed, tossing the folders onto his desk carelessly and standing up. Ariadne watched him move to her desk from the corner of her eye, but didn't turn to look at him.

"How was the trip?" Eames asked, winking at her.

Ariadne didn't want to be disturbed, especially not when she was beginning her work on the models. She frowned and shot a glare his way.

"Fine." She snapped.

"Oh, someone's touchy. What happened?"

"Nothing happened Eames!" Ariadne hissed, briefly letting her eyes fall on Eames.

"Chloe! Where have you been?" Colin practically shouted, causing Ariadne to jump and slice her finger with her X-acto knife.

"OW!" Ariadne shrieked and dropped the knife, bring her hand close to her so she could examine it. There was a slice in her finger about an inch and a half long and blood was oozing out of it quickly. The sight of it caused Ariadne to become lightheaded, not used to seeing her own blood or any blood at all.

Arthur was at her side instantly, pulling her hand to him and turning it to see how deep the cut was. He frowned and quickly pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and wrapped Ariadne's bleeding finger in it.

"Eames, go get the first aid kit." Arthur ordered Eames.

Chloe walked over to where they were, Colin following close behind.

"Looks like our architect can't handle her own tools." Chloe mumbled under her breath and Colin elbowed her.

"Are you alright Ariadne?" Colin asked just as Eames was returning with the first aid kit.

Ariadne nodded, but flinched, feeling her finger starting to throb. Chloe looked at her finger and rolled her eyes. Colin pulled her aside and let Eames and Arthur take care of Ariadne.

"How deep is it?" Eames asked for Ariadne, noticing that she was squeezing her eyes shut in pain.

"She's going to need stitches." Arthur replied, keeping his voice calm. "Ariadne. Ari, look at me."

Ariadne opened her eyes and looked Arthur in the eye. She could feel her eyes watering from the pain, but she forced them back, not wanting to be vulnerable in front of Arthur.

"Have you ever had stitches before?" Arthur asked.

Ariadne shook her head. "No. This will be the first time."

Arthur nodded and turned to Eames. "Get the car ready."

Eames quickly left the room and Ariadne could hear his footsteps echoing in the large room. It wasn't until she heard the door snap shut that she remembered her finger and the pain.

"We're going to the hospital?" Ariadne asked, her voice cracking.

"Yes. I would do it myself, but our first aid kit is out of the supplies we need. I'll be sure to stop and buy a new one on our way back."

"Can't you just go get one and stitch it yourself?" Ariadne whimpered. Arthur looked at Ariadne curiously.

"Are you afraid of hospitals?" Arthur asked.

Ariadne bit her lip and looked down. She was terrified of hospitals. The last memory she had of being in one wasn't pleasant and she wanted nothing more than to just avoid going all together.

"I've had bad experiences there. Please Arthur, can't you just get Eames to go buy the stuff we need?"

Arthur sighed and nodded. He stood up and jogged outside, letting Eames know of the change in plans.

When Arthur came back, Ariadne was clutching her hand and Colin was sitting next to her, trying to comfort her.

Chloe was sitting next to Colin, looking uncomfortable, but she wasn't making any rude comments, probably because Colin had talked to her a few moments ago.

"Eames will be back soon. Keep pressure on the wound. We need to stop the bleeding." Arthur told her, taking his seat next to her and gently pulling her hand towards him, putting pressure on it. The blood was starting to seep through the silk cloth Arthur had wrapped around Ariadne's finger, a sign that pressure wasn't being put on the wound to stop the bleeding.

Ariadne let out a small grunt as Arthur squeezed her finger. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, trying not to let herself pass out.

"You doing alright?" Arthur asked. Ariadne had to bite back a remark about how she was not alright and her finger was in pain, so instead she nodded and looked at Colin and Chloe, who were talking quietly at Colin's desk.

Arthur followed her gaze and smiled. "I think they talked things over."

"Talked things over?" Ariadne asked, not realizing she had just taken Arthur's bait to get her mind off the throbbing pain.

"Yeah. Chloe and Colin have had their differences, and as Eames might have told you there is something weird going on between them. Supposedly a relationship. I don't really know though."

Ariadne's lips formed an "O" as she thought about what Arthur had said. Chloe turned her head and met Ariadne's gaze. Ariadne, embarrassed and slightly intimidated by Chloe, looked down quickly.

"When's Eames going to get here?" She asked quietly, wanting to crawl into a hole and hide from Chloe's scrutinizing gaze.

"He should be back any minute now."

As if on cue, Eames came bounding in with the large first aid kit. He set it down at Arthur's feet and took his seat next to Ariadne, prepared to help in any way.

Arthur let go of Ariadne's hand and Eames quickly put pressure on it as Arthur searched for the supplies he needed. He frowned and looked up at Eames.

"You didn't get anything to numb it with?" He asked, a hint of panic and irritation in his voice.

"It's not in there?" Eames asked, suddenly worried. He didn't want Ariadne to be put through any more pain than necessary, but without some kind of anesthetic she would feel everything that was being done to her finger.

"No." Arthur hissed. He sighed and rubbed his face. "Sorry Ari, but this is going to hurt a bit."

"I'm sorry darling, I thought everything would be in there." Eames patted Ariadne's back and tried to ignore her fearful expression.

"Squeeze Eames' hand as hard as you need to. I'm going to try to make this quick, but the stitches need to be precise, so try not to move." Arthur told her and grabbed her hand firmly before unwrapping the cloth from around her finger. He squeezed her hand between his knees to keep her from jerking when he began stitching and stole one last look at her before beginning his work.

Eames flinched when Ariadne suddenly gripped his hand, not expecting such a small woman to have so much strength.

"Someone must do hand exercises." Eames joked, trying to distract her.

"Shut up Eames!" She snapped, but Eames noticed Ariadne's eyes watering and her lips quivering. Eames began rubbing comforting circles on her hand, but her grip only became tighter.

After ten minutes of agony for Ariadne, Arthur finally finished up the stitches, put antiseptic on it, and wrapped it up. Ariadne quickly wiped away a few stray tears and sniffed, not wanting to show her weakness to either of them.

"It's ok, cry if you need to." Arthur told her, kneeling in front of her.

"No. I'm fine." She replied and stood up quickly, feeling lightheaded from the pain, she staggered.

"Whoa, sit down for a bit." Eames grabbed her shoulders and Arthur helped her sit down.

"Guys, I'm fine really." Ariadne assured them. She just wanted to get back to work on her models and forget about this embarrassing moment.

"Eames can you put away the kit? I need to talk to Ariadne." Arthur told Eames, though his gaze never left Ariadne. He gently placed his hands on her shoulder and guided her to her room.

"Sure thing." Eames began cleaning up and smirked as the two made their way to Ariadne's room.

"Oh, and stay safe guys!" Eames called. Colin and Chloe looked up curiously and watched as the two blushed before Arthur slammed the door causing Eames to chuckle.

Chloe stiffened and her gaze hardened when she saw the closed door.

"What's going on?" She asked Eames.

"The two lovebirds are going to have a talk. Or so they say." Eames raised his eyebrows suggestively and Chloe stomped away angrily.

Colin quickly walked to her and her posture changed immediately. Eames shook his head and sighed. Things were getting more complicated and he was worried that all these emotional games were going to jeopardize the mission. He let his eyes wander to the closed door and smiled faintly, hoping that the two would finally get things settled with each other.

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**As you can now see, this was one of my favorite chapters to write. I love writing a caring Arthur who takes charge ;) I actually got the idea for this chapter from a friend. She had a similar experience with an x-acto knife, only she didn't get it stitched up right away because she was finishing up a final project for her class. So she put on butterfly stitches and wrapped it up. Luckily my other friend was an EMT, so he knew how to handle the situation. Haha, see friends can inspire chapters and stories! :D So what did you think? What do you think will happen? Review please! **


	12. The Words I Would Say

**Aright! Next chapter! It's a good thing I'm so ahead in writing this. It makes it easier to update when I want to without having to worry about writing the next chapter and uploading that in a hurry. Besides it makes it easier for me to get the storyline going where I want it without having to think to hard. Anyways, enough of my rambling. I'm glad you all enjoyed the last chapter. The gentle, caring Arthur is my favorite :) Read and review! **

**Nope. Not mine.

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Ariadne wandered into her room with Arthur trailing close behind her. She knew that they would have to confront each other, but she wasn't expecting it to be so soon. After all that happened earlier, Arthur did earn himself some brownie points.

She carefully made her way to her bed, inhaling quietly before gently crawling on it, bringing her legs up and wrapping her arms around them. She still felt her finger throbbing, but decided that thinking about it would only make it worse.

Her eyes watched as Arthur pulled a chair over and sat across from her, watching her warily. He looked deep in thought and she didn't want to interrupt him if he was thinking about something important, so she just sat there patiently. Finally he cleared his throat and sat straighter, looking her in the eye.

"You said you wanted to hear about my past with Chloe."

"Arthur, you don't have to." Ariadne quickly cut him off, not wanting him to tell her something he wasn't comfortable with.

"No, you deserve to know." Arthur replied gently, causing Ariadne to relax a little. She nodded for him to continue.

"Chloe and I have known each other all our lives. We grew up together. I think my earliest memory of her is in kindergarten. One of the boys was picking on her and pushed her and I pushed him down. After that we were practically attached by the hip. We never left each other's side and we did everything together."

Ariadne watched him curiously, and he smiled at her when he paused.

"In junior high things began to change. I liked her, but she had no feelings for me beyond friendship. So we just continued to go on as if nothing got in the way. In eighth grade she went on her first date. His name was Dillon Kinsman and he was the most popular guy in the class. I hated him for it."

Ariadne wrinkled her brow and looked at him curiously, wanting to ask him a question. Arthur noticed this and answered her question before she could ask.

"I wasn't the most popular guy. In fact, I was probably considered one of the nerds. I loved to read, I excelled in all my classes, I had to have things precisely laid out, I hated chaos, I wasn't much of a social butterfly, and I had glasses and bad acne. You know how it is in middle school and high school, you're judged by your status, and mine was low." Arthur explained.

"I can't imagine that." Ariadne said mostly to herself. Arthur chuckled.

"Anyways, he always got the girls, most of my crushes went out with him, but it wasn't until Chloe started dating him that I truly began to hate him. She stopped hanging out with me and soon I found myself alone with no friends. They continued to date until our junior year of high school, which was surprising considering young dating doesn't usually last that long. Rumor was that Dillon was cheating on her and he got caught. At this point I couldn't care less about Chloe and what she got herself into. I had moved on and our friendship was something of the past."

Ariadne rolled her eyes, trying to imagine the drama that ensued after the breakup. She began to wonder if Chloe was manipulative then too.

Arthur noticed her eye roll and hid a smirk, knowing that Ariadne didn't really like Chloe much.

"She came running to me and I kept a good distance from her, but slowly she managed to wiggle her way back into my life and we became close again, filling each other in about what had happened over the past few years."

Arthur paused, as if recalling the exact minute the feelings came rushing in and they started to fall for each other.

"By our senior year I had changed drastically. I was no longer the 'loser' and I had grown quite popular. My face cleared and people paid more attention to me. Chloe began getting jealous when girls would show me attention and when I would occasionally take one of them out on a date. That was when she started to become judgmental and harsh towards other girls in my life. I don't know what it was, but she suddenly became protective and controlling over me." Arthur wrinkled his brow as he thought.

"She finally gained the courage to tell me that she wanted to try having a relationship, but I didn't want to. She had hurt me too much for me to want to give us a try."

Ariadne looked down, wondering if he was afraid of giving her a chance because of Chloe.

"It wasn't until prom came around that I actually decided to let Chloe in and give us a shot. It was amazing." Arthur paused and glanced at Ariadne, her face expressionless, but her eyes were showing hurt and jealousy.

"Things just started progressing from there. We applied to the same colleges and when we got our letters back, there were only two colleges that we got into that were the same. Stanford and NYU."

"You got into Stanford and NYU? That's amazing Arthur." Ariadne was grinning at him, not at all surprised by his accomplishments. Arthur smiled and nodded before continuing.

"Chloe didn't want to go to New York, I did. That's when things started getting harder. She decided that she would go to Duke University and I went to NYU. We managed to stay together for two years. It was well into my junior year in college that I decided I wanted to propose to her. I bought a ring and a plane ticket to visit her. We had planned on getting together soon, but I wanted to surprise her. When I got there she was surprised, but I noticed there was something off about her." Arthur swallowed and closed his eyes, his face exposing how he was feeling.

Ariadne moved to the edge of the bed and placed her hand on his. He looked up at her and squeezed her hand gently. She smiled and waited for him to continue. There was a long moment of silence before Arthur spoke again.

"We went to dinner, she looked lovely that night. I remember that night all too well. She was wearing a red dress that hung over one shoulder and reached her knees. Her hair was curled and she had red lipstick to match her dress. Dinner went well and even though I kept asking her what was wrong, she wouldn't answer me."

Arthur paused again and shook his head. He could feel Ariadne's trembling hands, but refused to let go.

"It wasn't until I pulled out the ring box and knelt in front of her that her eyes widened and she pulled away. Everything all came out in a rush. She said she couldn't marry me. She had been cheating on me and was pregnant. I knew it wasn't mine because I had wanted to wait until we got married to have sex, and she didn't like that too much. I'm pretty old fashioned and that was one of the things that she didn't like about me."

Ariadne's small gasp didn't go unheard by Arthur, but he wasn't about to stop now. He had to finish the story.

"We argued but ended up agreeing on staying friends. I kept in touch with her, not wanting her to go through a pregnancy alone, but she called me one night and told me that she miscarried and after that we lost contact. I didn't bother looking for her and she knew I would manage to make myself disappear. I haven't had contact with her at all but I had heard that she and Colin were an item from Eames. And now here we are." Arthur finished.

"Wait, so what did you major in?" Ariadne blurted out, wanting to know the answer.

"Criminal Justice." Arthur laughed at the irony.

"Really?" Ariadne asked, disbelief evident in her voice. Arthur nodded.

"Yep. Why do you think I'm so good at my job? I know all the secrets to finding the background of a person and I know how to hack computers as well as what kind of weaponry is best to use for certain situations." Arthur informed her.

"Huh." Ariadne lost herself in thoughts before asking another question. "How did you meet Cobb?"

This question caught Arthur off guard. He never really talked about it much, he rarely thought about his past and thinking about when he met Dom Cobb was strange.

"Well I was separating myself from the people I knew and was closest to. I needed some extra cash and Cobb needed someone to do some digging on a person for him. I volunteered, but not before he dragged me into the dream world. I guess it was an instant addiction." Arthur shrugged.

"Where did Cobb find you?"

Arthur paused for a moment, recalling the memory. "In Australia. I believe I was trying to sneak into the Sydney Opera House. Cobb was impressed with my ability to sneak in unnoticed and in the shadows that he wanted me to help out. To be the Point Man. Which he explained to me and I realized suited me well."

"Yeah. You need to know you can control a situation. And when you can't it's hard for you. You also love details." Ariadne evaluated his personality a little bit.

"And you are quite observant." Arthur praised her. She blushed and looked down.

"Did you know Mal then?" Ariadne asked.

"Yes. I actually met her when Cobb caught me sneaking into the Opera House. She was with him at the time and she was the one that became the 'mother figure' to me. If it weren't for her Cobb probably would have hired another point man." Arthur replied.

"Wow. So you were close with them." Ariadne stated rather than asked. Arthur nodded.

"Yes. They were the closest thing to family I had after I ran away."

"What happened with your family?"

Arthur's eyes darkened. "My mother died when I was sixteen. My older brother lives somewhere in California and my younger sister lives in New York. I haven't kept in touch with my father or brother and sister in years. I just know that my brother is married and has two kids and my sister is engaged." Arthur informed her.

"Why did you leave them?" Ariadne couldn't help but ask.

"After my mom died my dad fell apart. He barely supported us, and my brother and I had to work to provide and pay for the bills. My dad hit my sister a few times and it wasn't until my brother graduated that we moved out, taking my sister with us. He fought for custody over us even though he was just eighteen."

"So how far apart are you guys in age?" Ariadne asked, more and more questions forming as she learned more about Arthur.

"My brother is two years older and my sister is three years younger. And before you ask, my brother's name is Thomas and my sister's name is Emily."

"Those are nice names…but what's your last name?"

"Smith." Arthur replied, not missing a beat.

"Smith? You're lying. I can tell. That's too common." Ariadne accused. Arthur chuckled.

"It's Giordano." Arthur told her, a smile on his face.

"Hmmm…not bad I suppose. Italian right?" Ariadne joked.

"Yes. My mom was Jewish my dad Italian." Arthur replied, grinning.

"How did you manage to go to college then?" Ariadne asked after a few minutes of silence.

"I got scholarships and grants. No loans, thankfully."

"Wow. That's awesome Arthur."

Arthur nodded. "So does that answer your questions?" He asked carefully, hoping that the air was cleared between them.

"Yes, but I do have a few more." Ariadne nodded and smiled at him, her gaze falling on their still entwined hands. She blushed and gently pulled her hand from his, rubbing her hands on her pants nervously.

"Ok, shoot." Arthur nodded at her.

"How did you learn how to play all those instruments?"

Arthur cleared his throat and paused. "Well, to get away from the awful family life I would spend most of my spare time at music stores or at the school teaching myself how to play. It just came naturally. Later I found out that I could sing. It was mostly a hobby, then later on a few friends of mine wanted to start a band, so we tried that."

"You taught yourself? You, Arthur, really are an impressive man."

Arthur chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. He looked down and tried to control the blush that he felt creeping onto his cheeks.

"Why did you quit?" Ariadne broke Arthur out of his thoughts.

"I didn't quit. I just don't play that much anymore." Arthur defended.

"Why not?" Ariadne kept insisting. She wanted to know why he stopped something he was obviously talented in.

"Chloe and I used to do karaoke all the time. We'd go out and have fun while we were dating. She actually gave my friends the idea to start a band. So she was always with us when we were playing. Music was kind of our thing. I guess after everything with her happened I just stopped. It reminded me too much of the past and the hurt I went through." Arthur replied.

Ariadne nodded and frowned. "I don't think you should have stopped."

Arthur nodded. "I know, I miss it a lot."

"Then play again! Arthur don't let something hold you back from what you love!"

"Maybe I'll give it a try again." Arthur stared at Ariadne, becoming more and more curious about the young architect.

"What about you Miss Ariadne? What's your story?" Arthur asked.

Ariadne froze. "What? My story?"

Arthur nodded. "It's only fair. I told you mine."

"Fine, I'll tell you mine." Ariadne grunted, letting herself fall back on the bed and lay down. Arhtur sat next to her and soon followed her, laying down and looking at her curiously.

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**Hmmm...so what did you think of the talk? Or at least Arthur's story? I decided to use the last name I used in my previous story. I love Italians, so an Italian last name would fit him, at least I think so ;) Ariadne's story will be up soon! And what do you think? Should Arthur start singing again and pick up his music? Haha...leave a review! :D**


	13. The Story of Our Lives

**Alright, here is Ariadne's story. I am glad you all liked Arthur's back story. I wasn't sure if you would like it, and it just kinda came out when I wrote it. I had trouble with both the last chapter and this one. So I now present you with Ariadne's story. Hope you enjoy it! Review please! And I would also like to send a shout out to all of you who have been reviewing every chapter! It means so much to me and helps me to know who's reading and what you all think! Thank you! **

**If I could buy Inception from Christopher Nolan, I would...but I can't, so I won't.

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Ariadne and Arthur lay staring at each other for a few minutes before Ariadne began to talk.

"I was born in Canada. We lived there until I was three and then we moved to Minnesota, which is where I grew up and spent most of my life." Ariadne began her story.

Arthur relaxed further into the bed and listened to Ariadne's steady breathing as she gathered her thoughts.

"My mom was murdered when I was twelve. I still remember waiting in the hospital for any news on her." She paused and frowned, biting her lip to keep them from quivering.

"Is this why you hate hospitals?" Arthur asked.

Ariadne nodded. She was terrified of them. She was twelve when her mother was murdered and she had to sit in the white waiting room until any news of her mother was revealed. She remembered the fear vividly and being inside hospitals only brought back that fear.

Arthur frowned, knowing that being so young and vulnerable is hard, especially when it involves losing a loved one. Ariadne cleared her throat and continued on, glad to get past the memory of her mother's death.

"Things got really hard for my dad and I. My dad buried himself in his work and that's about the time I was drawn to architecture and music. I began sketching and drawing more and one night my dad found my sketch pad and encouraged me to go for my dreams. He also taught me how to play guitar. That's something I'm grateful for, because when I can't think of anything to sketch, I play guitar to clear my head. He's been really supportive of me and he taught me so much." Ariadne smiled at her thoughts of her dad.

"Are you still keeping in contact with him?" Arthur asked.

Ariadne nodded. "We have 'phone dates' every week." She said, her face brightening up as she said this. Arthur smiled at her, moving his hand under his cheek.

"My dad helped me out a lot with college applications and scholarships. He sent my portfolio to almost everywhere." Ariadne laughed softly. "He was so excited about it. It made me excited just seeing him excited about it."

Ariadne looked at Arthur, her eyes glowing. Arthur smiled at her, enjoying seeing her so happy talking about her past.

"I got into a bunch of colleges, but after much discussion we agreed I'd go to Yale. It was expensive, but with all of my sketches and drawings I managed to get a full ride. They were impressed with my abilities and they knew I'd do extremely well in the architecture program. It also helped that I did extremely well in school and on my SAT's. I was a lot like you in high school. They labeled me as 'The Loner.'"

"A bright girl like you would need bright friends. If you didn't find that, I understand why you'd choose to be alone." Arthur said, watching her intently.

"I really didn't mind being alone." Ariadne confirmed, smiling. "I actually preferred it most of the time. It gave me time to think and draw. Besides, all that high school drama was never my thing. I avoided it like the plague."

Ariadne playfully bumped into Arthur, teasing him about having high school drama. Arthur feigned hurt but nudged her back. Ariadne chuckled and continued on.

"In college it was harder for me because I got homesick and since I never really had any friends before, it was hard for me to make friends. The one thing I lacked was people skills, and I soon found that people skills would be important."

She sighed, remembering her first year of college. She cringed at the thought and Arthur grabbed her hand and started rubbing circles on it.

"My first year was hard. I didn't have any friends, my dad was so far away, and my classes were overwhelming. I almost quit and went back home, but every night I'd call my dad and he'd encourage me and remind me that there had to be a reason for me to be at Yale on a full ride scholarship, so I stayed and made it through my freshman year of college. The rest of my undergrad years went pretty smoothly and quickly. I graduated in the top three in my class, and I managed to make a few friends who taught me how to loosen up and be more outspoken. If it weren't for them, I'd still be the shy introverted girl and I never would have made it here, working for extractors." Ariadne grinned at Arthur.

"Yeah, and you wouldn't have been able to help Cobb or convince him to let you go with us." Arthur pointed out. Ariadne nodded, thinking back to the Fischer job. She couldn't believe how much she had changed since undergraduate school. Her expression became sad as she thought about her friends.

"I still keep in touch with my older friends from Yale, though not as much." Ariadne frowned. "We kind of lost contact with each other after we graduate. Some of them got married, others got jobs, and there were few of us who went to graduate school."

"How'd you get to Paris?" Arthur asked suddenly.

"Patience." Ariadne scolded him playfully. "Well after not really knowing what to do next, I decided I wanted to go to graduate school. I had always wanted to travel. Paris was one of my favorite places to read about and I decided that's where I wanted to go for graduate school. My dad helped me with everything again, and I managed to get a few scholarships, but unfortunately I had to take out a few loans. So that's how I got here." Ariadne explained.

Arthur nodded, not too surprised with her story, he did a brief background check on her when Cobb brought her onto the team.

"My story is significantly more boring than yours. I haven't had as much drama as you." Ariadne poked Arthur playfully. He chuckled and moved closer to her, nudging her as he did so.

"I thought your story was lovely. It's always nice to hear someone having a much happier life than me." Arthur replied. Ariadne furrowed her brows and examined the man in front of her.

"My mom being murdered is not exactly what I'd call happy, but I guess considering everything else, I have had a pretty good life. And your life isn't that bad. Sure you had some trials, but they formed you into who you are today." Ariadne replied, smiling softly.

"Did they ever catch who murdered your mother?" Arthur couldn't help but ask. Ariadne blinked a few times, caught off guard by his question. He really had a knack for asking questions way off topic. He may be the Point Man, but he sure knew how to steer a conversation into a different direction if he wanted to.

"Yes. He was caught and within months of his trial, he hung himself in his cell. He never got prosecuted for what he did." Ariadne bitterly replied. Arthur sighed and gently pulled her into a hug.

"I'm sorry." He whispered into her hair.

"It wasn't your fault." Ariadne mumbled into his shirt, clinging onto him.

"I know, but I want you to know that I'm here for you if you ever need it." He rubbed her back and felt her relax into his touch.

"Thank you." She barely whispered.

It was then and there that both Arthur and Ariadne realized that something was changing between them. Something that they couldn't go back on, but neither of them had brought it up, wanting nothing more than to wait for the other to make the first move.

They were both afraid that if they crossed the line between professionalism, friendship, and romance, things would get complicated. They would become each other's liability and potentially put the team at risk. As much as they wanted this, they weren't sure if it was the best idea, but neither of them wanted to ruin this perfect moment or speak the unspoken.

After several moments of silence and holding Ariadne, Arthur heard some shuffling outside of her door and frowned. He began to pull away but he noticed that Ariadne had fallen asleep in his arms. He gently brushed her hair out of her face and kissed her forehead. Deciding that he didn't want to disturb her, he just let himself relax, closing his eyes.

The last coherent thought he had was that he was already in too deep with this beautiful woman in his arms and there was no turning back now.

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**Hmmm...so what did you think? Things are a little peaceful right now, but things aren't gonna stay that way for long :O Reviews are love! **


	14. The Way We Talk

**Sorry for the longer wait for an update. I got distracted with my oneshot and school has been busy, but I'm updating now! I'm glad you all really liked Arthur and Ariadne's stories. I was a little hesitant about them because I find background stories hard to write. So the overwhelming praise I got for them made me happy :) So here is the next chapter! :D **

**I don't own Inception...maybe in my dreams...but even then, it's really not mine...

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Ariadne woke up, feeling something heavy across her waist. She opened and closed her eyes a few times to gain some focus. After blinking enough, she turned her head to her left and saw a sleeping Arthur next to her. Startled, she let out a loud gasp and accidentally rolled off the bed, making a loud thump on the floor.

Arthur was up instantly, looking around to analyze his surroundings. Remembering that he fell asleep with Ariadne he quickly looked for her. He heard a moan from the floor and crawled to peer over the bed, finding Ariadne tangled in a blanket and her pillow was laying a few inches away from her.

"Ariadne?"

Ariadne looked up at Arthur, her eyes wide and her cheeks turning a light shade of red.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." She apologized, hiding her blushing face. Arthur hid a smile and moved to help her get up.

"Were you fighting with the blankets?" Arthur raised his eyebrow at her.

Ariadne blushed even more. "No. Sometimes I fall off the bed. It's been a problem since I was little." She lied. Arthur shook his head, choosing to drop the subject.

"I didn't mean to scare you." He finally said.

"Scare me?"

"Yeah. You fell asleep during our talk last night and you looked so relaxed that I didn't want to move you and wake you. So I crashed here."

"Oh." She replied, throwing the blankets on the bed. "We better get out there. Start working. I think I'll take a shower first."

"Right. Let's go." Arthur motioned for her to go in front of him. She nodded and opened the door.

Colin, Eames, and Chloe all turned at the sound of the door opening. Colin had his eyebrows raised, Eames was smirking, and Chloe was glaring at Ariadne.

"So Arthur, did you get lucky last night?" Eames asked, causing Ariadne to blush and Arthur to glare at him.

"Shut up Eames. We were just talking and fell asleep." Arthur snapped.

"Oh. That's what they call it now is it?" Eames teased.

"Leave them alone Eames." Colin said, smiling.

"We've been waiting for you guys all morning." Chloe said coldly.

"Chloe, it's only eight." Arthur replied. Chloe rolled her eyes and returned her gaze to the file in her hand.

"Whatever." She mumbled. Arthur stared at her in disbelief before returning his attention to Ariadne.

"Go ahead and clean up. We can get started in an hour." Arthur told her before turning to Colin who was nodding his head.

"Are you sure you don't want to join her Artie?" Eames said suggestively.

"Eames!" Arthur raised his voice. Eames just chuckled.

Ariadne quickly made her way to her room, grabbing a few pieces of clothing and rushing into the bathroom, not wanting to have to deal with any more of Eames' comments.

Arthur watched Ariadne and sighed. He turned to Eames and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him aside.

"Do you have to be so crude?" Arthur hissed. Eames' grin widened at this.

"Oh, but darling, I'm not being crude. I'm simply telling it as it is." Eames innocently replied, placing his hand on his chest.

"There's nothing going on. We fell asleep. Big deal." Arthur replied defensively.

"Arthur, you need to stop this. Obviously you two have an attraction for each other, but if you keep fighting it, you're going to lose her." Eames told Arthur.

"We're just friends Eames." Arthur quietly said.

"Only if you want to stay just friends. Arthur, you better open your eyes and see that she likes you. A lot. And if you don't do anything about that, you'll both live in regret." Eames patted Arthur on the shoulder and walked away. Arthur scowled and walked to his desk.

Eames' words were getting to him, but he knew that he had to be professional with Ariadne. He already broke that professionalism last night by staying with her. He shook his head, remembering that if he were to allow anything to happen between them, he could very well end up getting hurt again. And he wasn't ready to deal with that. He was fighting his feelings, and he knew it. The logical part of him was telling him to stay friends. They were co-workers and he couldn't risk anything happening to her.

He also knew there was a chance that they could end up like Cobb and Mal. As much as his rational side told him they wouldn't end up like them, his irrational side kept telling him that risks couldn't be made.

"What did I miss?" Ariadne's voice broke Arthur out of his thoughts and he turned to watch as Ariadne looked at the team curiously.

"Nothing. We were waiting for you." Chloe snapped. Ariadne looked a little frightened but nodded, moving to take a seat at her desk, waiting for them to start.

"Chloe." Arthur and Colin both said in scolding voices. Chloe frowned and stared at Colin, waiting for him to begin.

"Alright, so we just need to gather all the information and Ariadne can finish the levels and teach them to us. Eames, when is that chemist of yours going to get here?"

"He should be here this afternoon. He might need to be picked up from the airport though." Eames replied.

"I can pick him up." Ariadne spoke up. "I know my way around here."

"Won't you have too much work to get done?" Chloe asked.

"I have all my sketches done. I just need to build the models, which I need materials for. When I go get Yusuf I can go buy a few supplies." Ariadne replied, keeping her calm.

"Alright. So Ariadne will pick up Yusuf. Arthur have you gathered all the information you need?"

"Not yet. I still have to figure out if she's been trained. Even though she's asking us to go in, her subconscious can destroy us if we go in unprepared and she's had training." Arthur informed them.

"Well it looks like we need to train you then." Eames turned to Ariadne and grinned.

"What?" Arthur asked, clearing his throat nervously.

"Arthur, she needs to learn how to take care of herself, shoot a gun, and handle herself with projections. She needs training." Chloe replied, shooting a glare at Ariadne.

Ariadne frowned, not enjoying the way Chloe was treating her, but she decided she would be the bigger person and be nice.

"Chloe's right. Arthur, I really do need to learn all of that. You can't be keeping an eye on me and trying to erase the memories, it just won't happen." Ariadne explained.

Arthur sighed. "Alright, but Eames and I will be the ones to train you. I'll take you under in an hour. Go finish whatever you have to."

"I have to pick up Yusuf." Ariadne reminded Arthur.

"I'll get him. That way Arthur can teach you." Eames replied.

"Fine. I just need to run to the store really quick and get some supplies. Can I go alone or do I need an escort?" Ariadne asked dryly.

"Go ahead. You know your way around." Colin answered for Arthur, raising his eyebrow at him when he noticed he was going to protest.

"Thank you Colin. I'll be back soon." Ariadne replied, grabbing her bag and walking quickly.

"She wastes too much time." Chloe angrily told Colin and Arthur.

"Chloe, stop. Just stop." Arthur sternly told her, getting annoyed with her rudeness and cruelty towards Ariadne. She crossed her arms and huffed.

"What's going on with you?" Colin asked.

"Nothing's going on with me. I just want to get this job done!" Chloe raised her voice.

"Are you sure everything's ok?" Arthur asked, observing Chloe carefully.

"Yes. Everything's just peachy. Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do." Chloe stalked off angrily and Colin and Arthur watched her, confused.

"Something's up." Colin finally said.

"How do you know?" Arthur asked.

"She's never been like this before. Something's bothering her. I just don't know what."

"You think it's Ariadne?" Arthur asked.

"No. Something else. She was acting strange before we got the job offer. In fact, she's the one that told me about it." Colin scratched his chin.

"This can't be good then. We better find out what's going on." Arthur said before walking back to his desk. Colin nodded and sighed, flopping down into his chair, afraid that Chloe had gotten into something she couldn't control.

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**So what did you think? It's getting closer to some action and trouble...uh oh! Review and let me know what you thought! Also, for those of you who read my oneshot "A Day In the Life of a Sleep Deprived Point Man," here is the link to the episode of the anime that inspired the oneshot...I highly recommend you watch it! I absolutely love it and I swear the character in it reminds me of Arthur sooo much! **.tv/watch/ouran-high-school-host-club-episode-17-english-dubbed-online-free#English **Just copy and paste the link and it should lead you there :) Thanks again! **


	15. Blindsided

**Wow! 100 Reviews already! Thank you all so much! I'm so excited! Haha...I honestly love getting reviews, it helps me with my insecurities in my writing and it proves that people do enjoy my story. So thank you guys! Well here is the next chapter. I'm telling you, things are starting to get a little heated, and trouble is brewing, so be prepared! With that said, enjoy! **

**No, I don't own Inception...stop reminding me!

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Ariadne managed to quickly buy everything she needed for her models. While she was leaving she noticed that she was being followed. She swallowed and picked up her pace. She didn't want to seem like she knew she was being followed, but rather look like she was running late. She glanced at her watch and frowned. She should be at the warehouse in ten minutes, but it could be dangerous leading whoever was following her there.

She tried thinking of what to do and decided it would be best to just lead them in circles and give Arthur a call. He'd know what to do.

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"Is that her?" The man asked as they watched the short architect go into an art store and come out fifteen minutes later.

"Yes." The other man replied.

"Now?" The first man asked.

"No. Not now. We have to be sure she's as good as they say she is. If we get her now, we won't get the feedback we need on her." The second man answered.

"So what then?"

"We'll follow her for a bit. Then we'll wait to hear what our source says about her work." The second man replied. Both men began to follow her as discreetly as possible, but Ariadne had spotted them.

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Ariadne pulled out her phone nervously and quickly dialed Arthur's number. After three rings he answered.

"Hello?"

"Arthur." Ariadne breathlessly said.

"Ariadne? What's wrong?" Arthur asked, worried.

"I'm being followed." Ariadne quietly told him.

"What? What do they look like? Where are you?" Arthur asked. Ariadne could hear some shuffling and she frowned.

"I don't know. I just spotted them and I've been leading them in circles. I haven't looked to see what they looked like. I'm by the café we went to yesterday to pick up lunch." Ariadne quickly told him.

"I'll be there in five minutes. Stay close by and make sure you stay where people are." Arthur told her.

"Ok." Ariadne nodded, feeling fear start to take over her emotions.

"Stay safe." Arthur said before hanging up.

Ariadne closed her phone and decided to walk into the café and sit down. Arthur was right. She needed to stay where people could see her, that way the men wouldn't try to do anything to her. She sat down, facing the door and let her thoughts take over. Pulling out her bishop, she knocked it over three times, confirming that this was in fact reality.

Arthur came rushing in five minutes later and Ariadne let out a relieved breath. She quickly tucked her bishop into her pocket and waited for Arthur to sit down across from her.

"Did they leave?" Arthur asked her. She shook her head.

"They've been circling the café. One of them is tall with black hair and blue eyes; the other is shorter with blonde hair and brown eyes. They are wearing suits." Ariadne described them.

"I saw them when I was walking in." Arthur nodded and rubbed his face.

"How long were they following you?" He asked, keeping his gaze on her face. Ariadne looked flushed and scared.

"Um, I think since I went into the art store. I didn't notice them following me until I came out." Ariadne replied, taking a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

Arthur looked around and spotted the two men walking away. He frowned and thought about going after them, but Ariadne grabbed his hand, fear in her eyes. His gaze softened at this and he squeezed her hand.

"Don't worry Ari. I won't let anything happen to you." Arthur told her, trying to give her assurance.

Ariadne nodded, her trust for the man in front of her taking over all her fears and doubts.

"We should get back." Ariadne quickly said, standing up and grabbing her bags.

"Here, let me get a few of those." Arthur offered and picked up two of her bags.

"Thanks." She smiled at him and tugged on her scarf.

"We're going to start your training as soon as we get back to the warehouse." Arthur told her, picking up his pace and looking at Ariadne, making sure she was close to him.

Ariadne bit her lip and nodded. Arthur sighed in frustration and led her to his car. He quickly put the bags in the car before opening the door for Ariadne and closing it. He climbed into the car and paused, taking a deep breath before starting the car. Things just got more complicated and dangerous.

When they arrived at the warehouse Eames and Colin looked worried while Chloe looked anxious.

"What happened?" Eames asked as soon as Arthur and Ariadne walked in.

"She was being followed. After about five minutes of me arriving, they stopped and left.

"Did you follow them?" Colin asked.

"No. I wasn't going to leave her alone. What if it was a trap and as soon as I left to follow them they came back to get Ariadne." Arthur raised his voice, obviously distressed by the situation.

"I don't want you out of my sight." Arthur pointed to Ariadne. She frowned and crossed her arms.

"Arthur, I'm not a baby. I can take care of myself." Ariadne protested.

"Oh, yeah. What would you have done if those two men grabbed you? They could have had chloroform on them and you would have been defenseless to that. Do you even know how to properly punch or kick someone?" Arthur's voice was getting louder and Ariadne flinched as he approached her.

She shot a look to Eames before rushing to her room and slamming the door.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Eames asked.

"Nothing. Nothing is wrong with me." Arthur snapped.

"Oh yeah. You just sent Ariadne crying in her room. Obviously there's something wrong." Eames crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows.

"I should go talk to her." Arthur sighed and rubbed his face, glancing around to see Colin and Chloe watching him.

"If you hear anything or know anything about this, let me know right away." Arthur called over his shoulder as he headed to Ariadne's room, picking up the PASIV on the way.

"You don't know anything about this do you?" Eames turned to Colin. Colin shook his head.

"No. Why would I?"

"I'm just making sure." Eames watched him suspiciously before turning to Chloe.

"What about you?" He asked.

Chloe shook her head, avoiding Eames' gaze. "I don't know anything about this, however I just got word that Miss Strauss would like to move up the date for the procedure."

"What? Who hired you guys?" Eames asked, finding the sudden change in plan and Ariadne being followed extremely suspicious.

"I don't know. Chloe got the call." Colin motioned to Chloe.

"They didn't say who they were. It was an anonymous request." Chloe defended.

"Wait, so Miss Strauss didn't hire you directly?" Eames asked.

"She is hiring us, but she had someone else get a hold of us. I have talked to her a few times." Chloe answered.

"This is not good." Eames mumbled before walking off, deep in thought.

"How could you keep this from me?" Colin asked and grabbed Chloe, pulling her away from Eames.

"It wasn't a big deal. It was just another job for us." Chloe replied, trying to keep her calm.

"Yeah, well now all of us may be in danger. Next time, inform me about the situation." Colin snapped before stalking off.

"Not all of us." Chloe mumbled, sighing. She had gotten herself into something way above her head and now Ariadne was in danger.

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**Sooo...what did you think? I know, it's a little nerve wracking, but this storyline has been in my head for weeks, and this is where it's going...but I know you'll enjoy the rest of the story! Please leave a review and let me know what you think! Also, did any of you watch the anime? Haha...you don't have to, I just want to know how many of you did? :D**


	16. Push Me On

**Alright, here is the next chapter. It's more of a filler, but we do get some Ariadne/Arthur time. Hope you enjoy it! I know I really enjoy this chapter :) Thanks to all of my lovely reviewers and readers! If it weren't for you, this story wouldn't be continuing. So thank you all! With that said, go ahead and read! And leave a review! Enjoy!**

**I am getting tired of saying I don't own Inception...

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Arthur knocked on Ariadne's door, waiting for her to open it. He knew he had overreacted, but after spending so much time with Cobb, he knew that when someone was being followed, it wasn't a good sign. He was just afraid it was a loose end that never got tied.

He heard shuffling inside the room and watched as Ariadne peeked through the small crack as she opened the door. She slammed the door angrily, leaving a stunned Arthur standing there.

"Go away!" He heard her yell.

Arthur, being the stubborn person that he is, refused to leave. "Ariadne, open the door."

"I don't want to talk to you right now!"

"Well we need to talk." Arthur yelled back. He opened the door, despite the protests from Ariadne.

"Look, I'm sorry about snapping at you out there and raising my voice, but this is serious Ariadne." Arthur sat down on her bed and watched her as she huffed and sat in the chair.

"You think I don't know that? You weren't the one that was being followed Arthur. It was me. And I don't even know why they were following me." Ariadne was still hysterical and Arthur closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry. I'm just worried. This could be someone dangerous. A loose end Cobb and I never tied up. My biggest concern is that it's Cobol Engineering." Arthur explained.

"Cobol Engineering? Why would they be after you?" Ariadne asked.

"They hired us to extract from Saito. We failed. He realized he was dreaming. After that we had to flee because we couldn't get the information to Cobol on time. The price they placed on our heads was pretty big. If they found out anything about the team or who we were working with, they could try to get to you in order to get to us."

"But why would they come after me? I wasn't involved with the Cobol job." Ariadne asked, puzzled.

"That's the thing. I don't know. Usually extraction teams aren't that close. The ones that are, they are the ones that are well known." Arthur explained.

"Were you and Cobb one of those teams?"

"Yes."

"Do they know that you are close to anyone else?" Ariadne was getting nervous now. If she was considered to be close to him, it could get dangerous for her. Not that she was afraid, she knew what she was getting herself into.

"I don't know. We performed Inception less than two weeks ago. If news spreads that fast, you might be in danger." Arthur stood up quickly and turned to face the wall, putting both of his hands against it and letting his head fall.

"Arthur. I trust you. Everything will be fine." Ariadne stood up and moved next to him, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"I sure hope so." He mumbled.

"It will." Ariadne insisted, ignoring the nagging feeling that something bad was going to happen.

"We should start your training." Arthur abruptly said, turning around to pick up the PASIV and he set it on the bed. He motioned for Ariadne to get comfortable before gently inserting the needle into her wrist.

Arthur moved to the other side of the bed and inserted the needle in his wrist before laying down.

"Ready?" He asked. Ariadne nodded and Arthur pushed the button.

Ariadne found herself in a gym with a shooting range connected to it. She looked around and saw Arthur. He was wearing a Gi. Ariadne looked down and noticed that she was wearing one too. It made her feel like she was in The Matrix, training with Morpheus. She giggled and Arthur looked at her curiously.

"Sorry, I just…never mind." Ariadne shook her head and looked at Arthur expectantly.

"Alright. I'm going to teach you some self-defense moves. Then we'll move onto some moves with knives. After that we'll go to the shooting range." Arthur informed her.

"Okay." She bit her lip nervously. She never was one for physical activity, so fighting was going to be hard for her.

Arthur started off by showing her pressure points and the best way to grab them for submission. After that he taught her some punches and kicks.

"Make sure when you kick you lean either forward or backward, depending on where you're kicking. If you're going to kick forwards, lean backwards, it will help you keep your balance. And same thing if you're kicking backwards, lean forwards."

Ariadne nodded and attempted to kick the paddle he was holding. She stumbled, not used to having to balance on one foot. Arthur quickly took this opportunity to grab her leg and throw her down. She landed with a thud and gasped.

"You have to keep control. As soon as you show one sign of weakness, your attacker will take that opportunity to throw you down. And they won't be as gentle as I was."

Ariadne was inhaling deeply, trying to catch her breath and finally stood up. She took her stance again and kicked hard, causing Arthur to stumble back.

"Good. Now try it backwards." Arthur moved behind her and she kicked as hard as she could. Arthur grunted as she kicked him and she turned around, a worried expression on her face.

"Arthur I'm sorry!" She quickly apologized.

He held his hands up. "Don't apologize. We're here for you to learn. Plus, I've been kicked and hit harder."

Ariadne sighed and waited for Arthur to instruct her some more. He stood still for a minute, catching his breath before returning to stand in front of her.

"Alright, take your stance. I want you to try a combo, and then we'll work on your blocks."

Ariadne watched Arthur show her the moves for the combo and took her stance. He threw a punch, hooked his arm around and pulled down, brought his knee up, and did an uppercut. Ariadne watched Arthur closely and nodded when Arthur looked at her, questioning.

Ariadne threw a punch at Arthur, hooked her arm around his neck, pulled his head down, and hesitated as she brought her knee up. This hesitation gave Arthur enough time to get out of her grasp and pull her arms behind her and pull her flush against him.

"You hesitated again Ariadne. Hesitation is not an option." Arthur said into her ear, causing her to shiver. "Once you're vulnerable, they can do whatever they want to you." Arthur continued, running his hand down her back and stopping, once he knew she got the point. She shook herself out and turned, avoiding Arthur's gaze.

"You see why it's so important to follow through?" Arthur asked. She nodded and prepared to try again. "Don't hesitate, just kick me."

Ariadne tried again. She threw a punch, hitting him on the eye, swung her arm around his neck and forcefully pulled him down, brought her knee up and she heard the crack as Arthur's nose came in contact with her knee, and she used an upper cut as her final blow. Arthur collapsed onto the floor, holding his nose. Ariadne gasped and quickly bent down next to him.

Arthur, who was testing her, quickly grabbed her and flipped her over, pinning her to the floor.

"Another mistake. You can't go check on them. Even if it's someone you know or may recognize. They could be playing with your mind." Arthur growled. Ariadne struggled against his grip and kicked his stomach. He toppled over and Ariadne quickly stood up, standing over him. Arthur moved to grab her, but she kicked him again.

Arthur rolled over and caught his breath. He stood up and nodded at her, wiping the blood that was streaming down his face.

"Good job." Arthur nodded and she smiled and bit her lip, taking in his appearance.

"I'm sorry Arthur."

He shook his head again. "Ariadne, I told you, don't apologize. The whole purpose of us being here is for you to learn."

"But you haven't attacked me as badly as I have you. How is that supposed to teach me anything?" Ariadne protested.

Arthur narrowed his eyes. "Let's teach you some blocks and then we'll spar."

Ariadne frowned, but nodded. Arthur told Ariadne to throw a few punches and kicks and as she did he blocked them, explaining each one. After making sure she understood them all, he had her get ready to block.

He threw a few punches and Ariadne blocked them extremely well, but when it came to the kicks, she had trouble. It was a lot harder for her to block kicks. Being a petite woman, it was hard to take such strong of an impact and keep her balance.

"If they find that you can't block kicks well, they will use that against you." Arthur told her as he continued to throw kicks.

After about an hour of blocking, Arthur decided it was time for them to spar. He was a little uneasy about it, not wanting to harm her, but he knew it was necessary.

"I'm not going to go easy on you. What I do is what they'll do to you if they have the chance." Arthur informed her. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." Ariadne mimicked him and took her stance.

Arthur grinned and copied her stance. "Ready?"

Ariadne nodded and threw the first punch, Arthur blocked and moved right, swinging his fist and hitting Ariadne. She stumbled, but quickly regained her balance and kicked. Arthur grabbed her leg and threw her down. Ariadne, seeing Arthur moving in, rolled and swung her leg under him, causing him to collapse. She took the opportunity to stand up, but he quickly moved and pulled her legs. She fell down again, and rolled over.

She kicked and barely missed his face. By now Arthur had moved so that he had one of her arms pinned and was trying to get her other arm. She was squirming, and finally brought her knee up into his stomach. He grunted and paused just long enough for her to escape his grasp. She stood up and when Arthur looked up to move towards her she paused, not wanting to kick his nose again.

Arthur took the opportunity to swing his leg behind her and she fell backwards. He moved and pinned her down. She struggled, but couldn't escape his grasp. After struggling for a few minutes she stopped moving and gave up.

"What did I tell you about hesitating? Just remember to work on that. Also, never ever give up. Keep struggling for as long as you have to. I should show you some moves to throw a person off of you when you're on the ground." Arthur said.

He laid down on the ground and Ariadne stood to watch him. He lifted his hips and pushed with his left arm, reaching across. Ariadne took in what he was doing and memorized it.

"Alright, pin me down." Arthur told her. She blushed and moved to get on top of him. When she was settled, trying to keep him pinned down, Arthur raised his hips, shoved her shoulder, and flipped her.

"See? As long as you use your hips and shove the person off of you, you will be able to escape." Arthur told her, smiling. "Now you try it."

Ariadne took her position and waited for Arthur to get on top of her. She then pushed up and tried to push him off, but he was making it difficult for her on purpose. She tried again, this time using all of her force and she flipped him.

"Great. Make sure you do that everytime." Arthur praised her and she smiled, standing up.

"Thank you Arthur." She said, her breathing coming in short breaths. Arthur nodded at her and took in her appearance. She looked tired.

"Let's try sparring one last time." Arthur told her. She nodded and took her stance. Arthur and Ariadne fought efficiently for five minutes. Ariadne was getting tired and he used that against her. She stumbled and he kicked her, knocking her back. He pinned her again and she tried to throw him off, but she was worn out. Arthur held her down and stared at her.

"We'll take a break and come back to practice your shooting. You need a break." Arthur said, not moving. Ariadne stared up at him and when he realized that he was still on top of her he practically jumped up and held his hand out to her, helping her up.

"Great job for your first time." Arthur praised her and she blushed.

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**I think a little fighting is sexy ;) haha...anywho...let me know what you thought! And I will update again soon! Thanks!**


	17. The Unspeakable Scene

**I'm glad you all liked the last chapter. I thought a little self defense training would be fun to write. I'm taking an Aerobic Kickboxing class, so a lot of the moves that were in the chapter were some that I have learned. Here's the next chapter...it's another filler, but you need those sometimes in order to move the story along, and trust me, soon things will happen rather quickly and a lot will be revealed :) But for now you'll have to deal with the mystery :P Haha...enjoy and leave a review! **

**What's that? I don't own Inception...oh I know :(

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Ariadne woke up from the dream feeling achy and tense. Despite knowing that she was in a dream for all the training, her body was reacting as if she actually was training.

Arthur noticed her stiff movements. "You'll get used to it after more practice. Your body will start recognizing that all the work you've done was in the dream. The ache is still there most of the time, but just not as intense."

Ariadne nodded, rubbing her neck. "Thanks for the warning." She teased. Arthur chuckled and moved to take the needle from her wrist, quickly applying pressure to it with a cotton ball and taping it to her arm. He did the same with his and stood up.

"Want to get something to eat?" He asked. She nodded eagerly, her stomach growling.

"We'll come back and finish after we eat then." Arthur said as he snapped the PASIV shut and walked out of the room, following Ariadne.

Arthur looked around and noticed the tension in the room. Ariadne turned to Arthur curiously.

"What's going on?" He asked.

Eames looked up and growled. "Apparently the job has been moved up to next week."

"What? Why?" Arthur asked, becoming alarmed.

"Chloe said she doesn't know why." Colin spoke up.

"Where is she?" Arthur looked around the room and noticed her absence.

"She left about five minutes ago. She wouldn't say where she was going, but she looked distressed." Colin replied.

Arthur sighed and turned to Ariadne. "Still hungry?"

"I can get something myself if you need to go look for her." Ariadne replied, hiding the disappointment.

"No. She can handle herself. If she's getting into trouble, that's her problem."

Ariadne had to hide a smile and she grabbed her bag, waiting for Arthur to lead the way.

"Eames, aren't you supposed to pick up Yusuf?" Ariadne remembered and asked.

"Oh bloody hell! I better go!" Eames frantically grabbed his wallet and keys, running past the Architect and Point Man.

"When Chloe gets back, send me a text. I'd like to have a word with her when we get back." Arthur told Colin as he closed the door.

Ariadne was going to ask about training, but decided that if Arthur was going to bring it up, he would. Five minutes of silence passed before Arthur finally spoke up.

"Eames might have to train you at the shooting range. I have to talk to Chloe."

Ariadne looked down and sighed quietly. "Ok."

Arthur looked at her and frowned. "Ari, you know I would rather have it so that I train you, but I don't want you to wait. You need to learn this."

"I want you to teach me." Ariadne blurted out and covered her mouth, embarrassed. Arthur's stomach flipped at her admission.

"I really don't want this to wait." Arthur said.

"I can wait. Even if it has to be tomorrow. I really don't mind." Ariadne insisted, but Arthur just shook his head.

"It has to be today."

"Well after you talk to Chloe we can go under and you could teach me." Ariadne reasoned.

"If I don't get a chance to, I'm having Eames do it. He's almost as good a shot as me."

"Fine." Ariadne slumped her shoulders and continued to follow Arthur. She trusted Eames, she just wanted to finish training with Arthur. She felt more comfortable with him around, and his presence made her feel safe. Besides, she couldn't deny the feelings that were developing more and more. She was already falling too hard for the Point Man, and she knew there was no going back now.

"Ari." Arthur sighed.

She shook her head. "No really, I understand. I do. Eames is a perfectly fine teacher." She smiled at him and Arthur watched her, uncertainty overtaking his features.

"Arthur, I'll be fine." Ariadne assured.

"Alright, but as soon as I am available, I'm joining you two." Arthur replied, ushering Ariadne into the small restaurant he led her to. They ordered their food and waited in silence.

Arthur cleared his throat and Ariadne looked at him. "Are you sure about training with Eames?"

"Arthur, I'm sure. Eames is great at what he does. He'll teach me well."

"He's a bit unorthodox in his techniques. He doesn't really go by the book." Arthur tried to dissuade her.

"Stop worrying. You need to talk to Chloe. I'll train with Eames. Besides, you were the one who was just saying that it can't wait and Eames should teach me. You can't change your mind now." Ariadne was getting irritated. He could have easily trained her, that was the plan, but he decided to talk to Chloe, which Ariadne understood. Chloe was the only one who had contact with their employer. Arthur needed to get the information out of her and figure out why the date had been moved up so suspiciously.

"Look, Eames will teach me and when you get back, you can make sure Eames didn't corrupt me." She smirked and moved aside as the waitress placed her plate in front of her. Arthur watched her as she immediately picked up her fork and started to eat. His eyes lingered on her mouth as she licked her lips and when she looked at him he quickly looked away.

Ariadne blushed and quickly took another bite. She could feel Arthur's eyes on her, but she was trying to ignore it.

"You did extremely well today." Arthur broke the silence. Ariadne looked up, shocked, and blushed.

"I'm a fast learner." Ariadne shyly replied, looking up at Arthur and watching as Arthur munched on his salad. "You know, salad is commonly known as women's food." She teased.

"Whoa! I love salad! Besides this is simply my appetizer. My entrée is on its way." Arthur grinned and Ariadne just stared.

"What exactly did you order?" Ariadne asked.

"Pâté de Lapin." Arthur replied.

"Rabbit?" Ariadne raised her eyebrow. "Isn't that a little cruel?"

"What, you don't like meat?" He asked.

"Oh, I love it. I was just giving you a hard time." She teased. "I want a bite when you get your plate." Ariadne told him. Arthur chuckled and nodded.

"You seem to be enjoying your Terrine de Saumon aux Epinards - Riz Spécial." Arthur said, eyeing her food.

"It's delicious!" Ariadne nodded her head and took another bite. Arthur quickly stabbed his fork into a piece of salmon and took a bite, ignoring Ariadne's protests.

"That is good. Impressive taste in food." Arthur praised her.

"Oh please. Anyone can order food. It's a matter of preference." Ariadne replied, rolling her eyes.

Arthur smiled. "Touché."

"Here is your plate sir." The waitress said as she set down his plate in front of him. Ariadne noticed that she was checking him out and she felt herself get jealous. Impulsively she stuck her fork into a piece of meat and slowly put it in her mouth. The waitress looked taken aback and Arthur watched her hungrily.

"Mmm. You're right. This is good." Ariadne said after swallowing.

"Thank you." Arthur nodded his head and began eating, the waitress forgotten.

They finished eating and Arthur paid the bill, after much protest from Ariadne. He left a tip for the waitress too, much to Ariadne's dismay.

They arrived back at the warehouse to find Eames and Yusuf casually chatting and Colin was pacing around his desk.

"Yusuf!" Ariadne exclaimed and ran to him, quickly hugging him. Yusuf was taken aback and shocked, but he wrapped his arms around her.

"Ariadne. I'm glad to see that you are doing well." Yusuf smiled at her and Ariadne grinned.

"Thank you. It's good to see you."

"Where's Chloe?" Arthur asked and Colin stopped pacing.

"She hasn't come back yet." Colin said. Arthur sensed worry and irritation in Colin's voice and took a seat next to Ariadne's desk.

"She still hasn't come back yet?" Ariadne asked, her eyes widening. She turned to Arthur and bit her lip. Despite not liking Chloe, Ariadne was worried.

"Eames, can you take Ariadne under and train her at the shooting range. We got most of the self-defense stuff down, she just needs to learn how to handle a gun." Arthur asked Eames and he nodded.

"Where are you going?" Eames asked, noticing Ariadne and Arthur hadn't removed their gaze from each other.

"I'm going to find Chloe and have a word with her." Arthur replied, standing up. He placed a hand on Ariadne's shoulder.

"I'll be back to finish your training." He said. Ariadne nodded and turned to Eames who was giving them a gentle look.

"Be careful." Ariadne whispered and moved to stand next to Eames.

"I will. I won't be long." He said as he left.

"Don't worry love, everything will be fine." Eames told Ariadne, guiding her to her room. She stole one last glance to the closed door before focusing on the task in front of her.

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"She's amazing." Chloe informed the two men.

"As good as they say she is?" The first man, Rex, asked.

Chloe nodded. "Better. I haven't seen an architect this talented since Dominic Cobb."

"Bring her to us." The second man, Darryl, ordered.

"That will be difficult. Arthur and Eames are extremely protective of her." Chloe said.

"Wake her up from the dream, we'll follow you and when she wakes up we'll take her." Rex replied.

Chloe looked uncomfortable. She knew that by agreeing to this Arthur would hate her, but if not…the consequences would be worse.

"Alright. When do you want the 'job' done?" Chloe asked.

"In three days." Darryl said, turning to leave. "And don't fail, or else…"

Chloe nodded and quickly left, not looking back. She was betraying a member of her team, but if she didn't they would do bad things. She only hoped they wouldn't harm Ariadne.

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**Well, what do you think? Chloe does have a reason for doing what she is doing...is it right? No, but she has a reason...all will be revealed in time...Muahahaha! :D Leave a review!**


	18. Matter of Time

**Sorry I didn't get to update yesterday. Wednesday's I'm super busy and I didn't get home until midnight, so I pretty much crashed as soon as I hit the bed. But today you get to enjoy the next chapter. More is being made clear in this chapter. Actually, the next few chapters will reveal a lot. So I hope you enjoy! And leave a review! Thank you all who have already been reviewing! It means a lot to me! **

**Nope. Not mine. Won't ever be mine...

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Chloe quickly walked as far away from the alley as possible. Once she was a good distance away she visibly relaxed. She looked around and frowned, spotting Arthur. Trying to hide from him, she ducked her head down and hid her face. Unfortunately for her, Arthur, being the observant person he was, spotted her. She sighed and walked over to him.

"Where the hell have you been? You have some explaining to do!" Arthur hissed.

Chloe flinched at Arthur's harsh words and nodded. She stepped in front of him, but he grabbed her arm. She looked at him startled. Arthur was never rough with her and she couldn't help but feel afraid now.

"No, do it here. The team is already worried and I don't want to worry them more." Arthur told her.

She sighed. "She wants the job done in three days."

"Three days? We're not even prepared as far as our sedation goes. Ariadne is almost done with the models, Eames hasn't had a chance to observe Miss Strauss' friends, and I still have more research to do on her. We're not even close to being ready." Arthur raised his voice.

"We have no choice Arthur. They want it done. We can't say no." Chloe stood up straighter and stared Arthur down.

"Who hired you?" He finally asked. Chloe looked away.

"I don't know."

"Oh hell you don't. Who hired you Chloe?" Arthur pressed.

"I don't know who exactly. They said they have been trying to get to a businessman, Saito I think was his name. But they didn't say who they were." Chloe replied. Arthur dropped her arm and horror appeared across his face.

"Cobol Engineering?" Arthur asked.

"I don't know! They need to erase Miss Strauss' memories, but I don't know why." Chloe said.

"We have to get back now." Arthur pulled her and they practically ran back to the warehouse.

"Did they tell you anything else?" Arthur asked just before he opened the door.

"No. I told you, they were extremely vague." She lied.

"We're screwed. I have a history with them. But I'm sure you know that." Arthur said pointedly and opened the door.

Colin bounded over to them and Yusuf followed slowly, watching the scene with curiosity.

"Where have you been? I've been worried out of my mind!" Colin yelled.

"I've been out." Chloe shouted.

"Out where?" Colin tried to calm himself down, but he was clenching his fists tightly.

"I had to meet with our employers."

Arthur's head snapped towards her and he growled. "You did what? Why didn't you tell me? I could have gone with you to check these people out."

"They would only meet with me." Chloe quietly answered.

Arthur and Colin both sighed. Arthur turned to walk to Ariadne's room, wanting to get away from Chloe. He rubbed his face and entered the room quietly, finding Ariadne and Eames' sleeping forms on the bed.

He quickly pulled out a lead and laid down next to Ariadne on the small, already cramped bed and inserted the needle.

He woke to the sound of gunshots and spun around to find Ariadne in the shooting range. He jogged to the area and Eames grinned.

"Ah, Arthur, finally decided to join us." He teased but quickly became serious. "Did you find her?"

Arthur nodded but didn't take his eyes off of Ariadne. He watched her form and when she hit the target he was impressed.

"How long have you been at it?" Arthur asked Eames.

"About an hour. She's a fast learner. I was getting ready to take her to practice on projections. But since you're here, I assume you want to take her." Eames suggested and Arthur shook his head.

"No, we need to have a meeting." Arthur replied, avoiding Eames' questioning look.

"What the hell did Chloe do?" He asked.

"I think she got a job with Cobol. If she did, we're screwed. They don't accept failure, and I'm a little suspicious about this job now. She said that they want the job done in three days."

"Three days? We're not ready for that." Eames exclaimed, glad that Ariadne couldn't hear the conversation. She was already worried about Arthur, she didn't need any more reasons to be worried.

"I know. I don't know what Chloe was thinking, or if she was even thinking at all. She's never this reckless when it comes to jobs." Arthur shook his head just as Ariadne fired her last shot. She smiled to herself and turned around. When she saw Arthur she quickly threw everything down and rushed to him.

"Is everything ok? What happened?" She asked, obvious worry etched on her face.

"We'll talk about it up top. We're having a meeting." Arthur told her, causing her to worry more.

"Oh no. This isn't good." Ariadne mumbled.

"Sorry we won't get to practice on projections. We'll get back to it tomorrow." Eames told her, patting her back.

"How much time do we have left?" Ariadne asked.

"Two minutes." Eames replied. They waited in silence for the dream to collapse. When they woke up, Ariadne was startled to find that they all had fit onto the small bed.

"Alright, let's head into the main room. We have a lot to discuss." Arthur said, his professionalism taking over. Ariadne and Eames looked at each other worriedly.

Ariadne and Eames quickly put away their leads and followed Arthur into the main room. They pulled chairs to the middle and plopped down onto them. Arthur dragged his chair next to Ariadne's and Colin and Chloe joined them not a moment later.

"Chloe, do you want to tell them what's going on?" Arthur asked, raising his brow, challenging her.

"Right. Well they want the job done in three days." Chloe started off.

"They? Who's they?" Ariadne asked.

"Cobol Engineering." Chloe replied, looking away guiltily.

"Cobol Engineering? Who are they?" Ariadne asked. Yusuf swallowed hard and waited for an answer, even though he already knew.

"They're a brutal company. When they hire people they don't accept failure. Cobb and I had a job with them before the Inception, but we failed. Saito cleared our charges, however they aren't a merciful company and will do whatever they think is fair to them." Arthur replied.

"Why would you get a job so dangerous when you knew it would be?" Colin asked, turning to Chloe.

"I didn't know that's who they were working for." Chloe defended.

"Why were you working for Cobol?" Ariadne asked, ignoring Chloe and Colin. She was trying to make a connection.

"They hired us to extract from Saito."

"Saito? Why?" Ariadne asked, shocked.

"They wanted details on his expansion plans. Cobb took the job because he needed the money. We didn't think things would get so out of hand until after they hired us. They said they didn't accept failure."

Ariadne stood up, trying to process everything. "Why would you take a job with a company so dangerous?" She repeated Colin's question.

"Look, I didn't know that's who they were. I assumed they wanted the best extraction team and I agreed. It wasn't until after that I realized who they were. They…" She trailed off.

"They what?" Arthur pressed.

"Nothing. Never mind. We have work to do. So we better get started. There's no time to waste." Chloe ignored the question and stood up, walking to her desk.

"You heard her." Arthur said, defeated. Everyone else got up and moved to their desk, beginning on their work.

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**Well there you go. Chloe was stupid enough to take a job without looking into it...what an idiot! Haha...my character, I get to talk trash about her ;) To those of you who wanted to see Eames and Ariadne in training, sorry. I wrote this a while back and hadn't intended to put that into the story, so sorry for those of you who wanted to see it...but fear not! There will be some more Eames and Ariadne moments in the future. With that said, let me know what you thought of the chapter and what you'd like to see! Thanks!**


	19. Your Shadow Lay Across My Life

**Thank you so much for the reviews! You have no idea how much it means to me! So now here is the next chapter. This one jumps around a lot, I actually had a really hard time writing this one. Mostly because I just wanted to get it over with. But now the next few chapters are going to be intense! :O So read and review!**

**Inception is Christopher Nolan's. End. Of. Story.

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Ariadne was so focused on her work she didn't hear Arthur walk over to her desk and stand behind her, observing her work.

She straightened up and bit the eraser on her pencil, concentrating on how she was going to make the models. She backed up and bumped into Arthur and let out a startled cry.

"Arthur! Don't do that!" She held a hand to her chest and stumbled.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." Arthur apologized and steadied her.

"What are you doing?" She asked, her breathing slowing.

"Just checking your progress." Arthur shrugged. Ariadne frowned and crossed her arms.

"Liar." She accused.

"What makes you think I'm lying?" He asked.

"I know you are. So spill it." Ariadne straightened up and held his gaze.

They stood there in silence before Ariadne figured it out. Her eyes widened and she let out a breath.

"You're worried. You think they're after me." Ariadne said. Arthur frowned.

"I don't know why Chloe is working for them or why they hired her, but it all seems suspicious to me. And with you being followed…I think they are trying to get to the team." Arthur explained and stole a glance to Eames, who was watching them curiously. Arthur tilted his head, motioning for Eames to join them. Eames nodded and looked around, putting on his carefree façade.

"Ah, so I see you are preparing to make the models." Eames said and put his arms around Ariadne and Arthur.

"Yeah, I think that the levels should be fine. I just have to get them into a model so I can teach them to you. Although I don't know how I'm supposed to do that in two days." Ariadne mumbled.

"So what's up?" Eames whispered, looking at Arthur curiously.

"I think they're after one of us in the team. I'm just not sure who. And Chloe doesn't know anything about why they hired her. It's making me feel uncomfortable and suspicious. There's no way we can perform this job with so little preparation."

"I've been thinking about it too." Eames agreed. "We'll just do the best we can and hope for the best."

Arthur made a face. "I don't like 'do the best we can.' We can do our absolute best if we have enough time."

"I know you hate being out of control and I know that you have to have…what was the word you used?"

"Specificity." Ariadne stated.

"Right, right. Specificity. However, this is out of our hands and we don't have any specificity. So we have to just try to do this." Eames told Arthur.

"I don't like it at all." Arthur shook his head and Ariadne nodded.

"We better get to work then. We have two days."

"She's right. Let's go Arthur." Eames nudged Arthur and walked back to his desk.

"Don't go anywhere without either me or Eames." Arthur told her and headed back to his desk.

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The three days went by fast and Ariadne found herself feeling overwhelmed and unprepared. By the looks of Arthur, he felt the same way too. She couldn't tell with Eames, but she knew that underneath his calm exterior he was just as nervous and worried as them. Even Colin looked uneasy. Chloe was the only one who seemed to be confident or ok with the situation.

"Alright. She wants us to do it in her home. She feels more comfortable there. It's just a couple of hours away from here. I'll drive one car, Arthur you can drive the other. We all won't fit into one car." Chloe said, giving orders.

Arthur nodded. "We'll use your car for luggage and all of our equipment. Eames, Ariadne, and Yusuf can come with me."

"Ok." Chloe nodded and they quickly loaded the car and were on their way.

"Are you sure we can do this?" Ariadne broke the silence.

"I don't know." Arthur admitted and Eames frowned.

"We just have to hope for the best." Yusuf tried to keep the group feeling optimistic.

"Well my best isn't really that good." Eames muttered, wishing he could have gotten a chance to observe her friends.

The group remained silent for the rest of the trip, each one of them deep in thought about the disaster that was ahead of them.

They arrived at a small house in the middle of nowhere. It was light blue with dark blue trimming and there were a few apple trees in the front yard.

"Well here goes nothing." Eames said as they walked up to the front door and Chloe knocked.

After a few minutes of waiting the door creaked open. A tall woman with disheveled red hair looked out and when she realized who they were she swung the door open.

"You must be the extractors! Please, come in and we'll get set up!" She exclaimed and they followed her in, Eames and Arthur giving each other curious looks. Ariadne gripped Arthur's shirt tightly, staying close to him and Eames made sure to have his arm behind her back.

"Alright. Set up here in my bedroom and we can get this done!" Miss Strauss happily said and sat down on the bed, rolling up her sleeve.

"Miss Strauss, you are aware of what we're going to try to do right?" Arthur asked.

"Oh of course!" She smiled at him. Eames frowned and looked around. She didn't seem like a woman who was haunted with memories of her past.

"Ok then, let's get you settled and we'll begin." Colin said, helping Miss Strauss lay down and Chloe took her place next to her. Ariadne pulled a chair up and sat down in it, trying to get comfortable. Eames laid down on the floor next to Ariadne's feet and Yusuf laid next to him. Arthur pulled up another chair and placed it next to Ariadne. He looked at her and raised his eyebrows and she nodded, giving him a small smile.

"Ok. We'll be under for five hours. It should give us enough time to erase those memories. "Ready everyone?" Arthur asked. They nodded and Colin counted down for them.

"Three, two, one." He pushed the button and they all drifted off.

Ariadne opened her eyes and looked around. The layout wasn't hers at all. She began to panic and searched for her teammates. She found herself all alone in a strange place and she felt worry welling up in her chest. This was already not happening like it was supposed to.

"Ariadne!" She heard her name called and turned around to find Chloe running to her, a look of panic on her face.

"Chloe, what's going on?" She asked.

"I don't know. Isn't Yusuf the dreamer of this level?" Chloe asked, looking around her at the strange surrounding. It was a dark room that seemed to have static whenever they moved.

"Yes, but he knows how to do this. So this really shouldn't be a problem for him. I don't know what's happening." Ariadne replied.

"We should find the others." Chloe suggested. Ariadne nodded, hoping that the projections wouldn't be extremely violent.

* * *

Arthur opened his eyes slowly and shot up when he noticed this wasn't Ariadne's dream level. He looked around and found Eames laying face down a few feet away.

"Eames! Something's wrong!" Arthur shook the Forger and he mumbled.

"What?"

"Eames, look. This isn't Ariadne's layout." Arthur pushed Eames and he sat up.

"What the hell? What's this?" Eames shouted.

"Yusuf knows better than to change the dream. Something isn't right."

"Do you think Miss Strauss took over the dream?" Eames asked, hoping it wasn't true.

"I don't know, but if she did, we're screwed." Arthur sighed and stood up. "We need to find Ariadne and the others."

"Right. Look! There's Yusuf!" Eames pointed straight and in the distance they could see the confused Chemist wandering around.

"Hurry!" Arthur said and they jogged to him.

"What's going on?" Yusuf asked when they approached him.

"Why don't you tell us?" Eames crossed his arms angrily.

"I have no idea what's going on!" Yusuf defended and turned to Arthur.

"We need to find Colin, Chloe, and Ariadne. They could be in trouble and if projections are violent, it won't be good. Ariadne didn't get to train with projections." Arthur said worriedly.

"As long as she's with Colin or Chloe, she should be fine." Eames tried to comfort Arthur.

"That's not good enough." Arthur growled. "Come on, we need to find them."

* * *

Colin woke up feeling disoriented. He didn't know where he was at and for some reason the layout didn't look like it was supposed to. He groaned and stood up, he didn't see anyone from the team and Miss Strauss was nowhere to be found.

"This better not be happening. Chloe is going to be in big trouble after this is over." Colin mumbled to himself.

* * *

Ariadne was afraid. She knew this was going to be trouble the minute she found out they only had two days to get everything planned. She looked at Chloe, who seemed to be calm with the situation, and frowned.

"Where is everyone?" She asked.

"They have to be around her somewhere." Chloe said, distracted.

"Chloe, what's going on? For real. I know you know." Ariadne stopped walking and looked at Chloe.

"I'm sorry Ariadne." Chloe said as she pulled out a gun and shot her.

* * *

**Oh...bet you didn't see that one coming...haha. Leave a review and I will update as soon as possible (probably tomorrow) :D**


	20. Buckets For Bullet Wounds

**Alright, I had to upload this after leaving you with that nasty cliffhanger. So I hope this answers some of your questions...these next chapters were more fun to write, although they aren't that pleasant...these next few chapters are actually what inspired this whole fic, which is probably why I loved writing them. I knew exactly how I wanted them to happy. So without further ado, here is chapter 20! Enjoy! Leave a review!**

**I own the storyline of this fic, that's it...Inception isn't nor will ever be mine... :'{

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Ariadne felt the shot in her chest immediately and crumpled to the ground, staring up wide-eyed at Chloe. She clutched her chest, trying to put pressure on the wound. Her breathing became harder for her and soon she was gasping for air.

"W-why?" Ariadne gasped.

"I can't tell you why." Chloe replied sadly before walking off, leaving the Architect to die.

Ariadne took three deep breaths before closing her eyes and dying. No one around was there to witness the death and see what Chloe did, but Ariadne would remember it all too well when she woke up.

* * *

Arthur, Eames, and Yusuf were running. They heard a gunshot and saw projections starting to get agitated. They seemed to appear out of nowhere and after the gunshot they watched the three of them carefully.

"Do you think the projections attacked?" Eames asked.

"I don't know. They haven't attacked us yet." Arthur replied, his eyes darting back and forth, looking for Ariadne.

"Look, there's Colin!" Yusuf exclaimed and they made their way to him.

"Colin, where are Chloe and Ariadne?" Arthur asked anxiously.

"I don't know. I woke up alone. I haven't seen Miss Strauss anywhere either. I don't know what's going on. It seems as if she took over the dream." Colin answered and looked around nervously.

"The projections look uneasy. We should find Chloe and Ariadne and figure out what we're going to do now." Colin said, noticing the projections mumbling and staring at them.

"Let's go." Arthur ordered and they began walking fast.

Chloe frowned, she had never killed anyone in a dream before. At least not a teammate. She had killed projections, but that was it. Her hands were starting to shake and she felt nauseous. She heard voices calling Ariadne and her name and looked around.

She spotted the group making their way towards her and she quickly got rid of the gun, not wanting them to suspect anything when they found Ariadne's body.

* * *

Ariadne woke up gasping, her eyes shut tight. She hated dying in a dream, especially when she was killed. She was angry with Chloe, not understanding why she would just shoot her without any explanation. Ariadne carefully removed the IV and sat up, looking around. She jumped a little when she noticed two men standing at the doorway, leaning against the doorframe.

"So you're the infamous architect we've heard about." Rex's wicked grin was frightening and Ariadne gulped, thinking about how she would get out of this. She thought of her training and was planning on attacking or defending if they attacked her.

"Don't be afraid, we just need you for a job. You're coming with us." Darryl stood up straight and started making his way towards her. She looked at Arthur and was about to push him over to wake him up when Rex and Darryl grabbed her and pulled her arms behind her, preventing her from making much movement. She began kicking, but they yanked her away from everyone, so as not to wake them up.

"Let me go!" She shouted and struggled against their hold. She was grunting, frustrated with herself for not keeping her guard up like Arthur had taught her.

"Sorry, but we can't. You're coming with us." Rex said, gripping her arm tighter.

Ariadne let out a piercing scream and continued to struggle, but Darryl covered her mouth and they dragged her out of the room. She bit Darryl's hand and he yelled, pulling his hand away from her. He growled and backhanded her. The loud slap echoed in the quiet house and she felt tears in her eyes.

"Stop struggling and let's go." Rex sneered and they tied her arms and legs and gagged her before exiting the house and throwing her in the van they had arrived in.

Ariadne was trying to get out of her restraints, but they had tied the ropes too tight for her and she gave up, sinking down and letting out a sob. She didn't know why they wanted her or who they were, but she was afraid. No one would know what happened to her, and that frightened her the most.

Then it all snapped into place. Ariadne remembered how Chloe shot her and apologized without giving a reason why. Chloe was in on it. She knew about this the whole time. That's why she made sure Ariadne was on the team and shot her so she would wake up.

Ariadne wanted to punch or kick something, but her movements were limited. So she just laid there, thinking about what was going to happen to her and if they would find her.

* * *

The four men were wandering around, looking for any sign of the two women on the team. Arthur was starting to get agitated and let out a grunt and kicked a rock.

"Arthur, your anger isn't going to solve anything." Eames calmly replied. Arthur briskly turned around and glared at Eames.

"I'm not angry." Arthur said through clenched teeth.

"Oh really? What's that face you're making then?" Eames dryly asked.

"Just keep moving." Arthur said.

"It's Chloe!" Colin suddenly shouted and they rushed to her. Colin was taking in her appearance. She looked shaken and pale.

"Are you alright Chloe?" Colin asked, taking her hand in his. She nodded.

"I just don't know what's going on." Chloe whispered. "This is not what should be happening."

"Have you seen Ariadne anywhere?" Arthur asked.

She shook her head. "No. I have been looking for you. But I did hear a gunshot earlier. You don't think anything happened to her, do you?" She asked.

"I hope not." Arthur quietly replied and shot Eames a look.

"We need to find her." Eames said, and he and Arthur began walking, Yusuf trailing closely behind.

They walked no longer than a mile when they came across Ariadne's lifeless body. Arthur rushed to it and cradled her in his arms.

"No." He whispered.

"Arthur, she's fine. She's probably up there waiting for us." Eames tried to assure him.

"That's beside the point. I was supposed to take care of her. And we need her for the third level. She knows that maze. Without her we can't go through with this." Arthur's voiced was getting louder as he talked.

"You're right. What should we do?" Eames asked.

"I'm going to wake up, we need to start over." Arthur replied and pulled out his gun and placed it at his temple. He pulled the trigger and his body fell next to Ariadne's. Eames shook his head and turned to the others. He noticed Chloe watching with wide eyes and she looked uneasy.

"Chloe, what the hell is going on?" Eames angrily asked and stomped over to her. She looked suspicious to him and wasn't going to leave without an answer.

* * *

Arthur woke up and looked around, but Ariadne was nowhere to be found. He pulled out his IV and called out her name, quickly moving throughout the house to find her. He looked down and saw her scarf on the ground in front of the door and when he opened it he found her cell phone. He looked around and shouted her name.

He quickly ran back to the room and pushed Eames, causing him to jolt up angrily.

"What was that for?" Eames growled.

"Ariadne's gone. I found her phone and scarf laying outside." Arthur held them up and Eames eyes grew wide.

"Someone took her." He stated. "Wake up Chloe. She knows something and she's not telling us."

Arthur looked furious. He walked over to the bed and roughly pushed Chloe off the bed, not caring that the fall might hurt her. She was a traitor. If she sold out Ariadne to Cobol, she didn't deserve kindness.

Chloe gasped and moaned from the floor, looking up at Arthur and frowning.

"Arthur, what was that for?" Chloe asked, rubbing her face.

"Tell us what is going on." Arthur demanded and Eames stood next to him, his arms crossed. They heard Yusuf and Colin stir and sit up, but none of them bothered to look at them.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Chloe replied defiantly and looked away.

"Oh hell you don't! Chloe, I'm getting tired of your attitude and your lies. You better tell us what you did!" Arthur began shouting, ignoring the fear in Chloe's eyes. He had never raised his voice with her. They had always cared about each other, but Chloe could see through Arthur's façade. He was afraid and worried about Ariadne. She knew that look. He was in love with Ariadne. She sighed and looked down.

"Cobol wants her. I don't know why. They hired me to get her in a place so they could take her without anyone being able to save her." Chloe replied, tears forming in her eyes.

"Why would you do that?" Arthur asked angrily.

"They…they took my son. Said that if I didn't, they'd kill him." Chloe sobbed. Arthur froze and stared at her.

"Your son? You said you miscarried." Arthur whispered angrily.

"I told you that so you could go live your life. I didn't want you to feel obligated to me even though we broke up. I wanted you to move on and find someone who would complete you. Someone you loved and who loved you back. Besides, it wasn't your kid, so didn't want you to feel like you had to care for him." She laughed humorlessly and looked at him. "And the woman you love and who loves you, I willingly gave to Cobol. I'm such an idiot."

"Why didn't you just tell me about your son? We could have helped." Arthur said, his anger slowly going away, but his face still red.

"I don't know. I was so afraid. You don't know what it's like. When you're a parent you'll understand." Chloe said and looked to Colin who was standing there in shock.

"Colin, I'm so sorry. I should have told you too." Chloe walked over to him and grabbed his hand. "Please, don't leave me."

"This is a lot to process Chloe. You have a kid. I haven't even met him and we've been together for years now." Colin replied.

"I know. I should have told you. I want you to meet him, I just wasn't sure how he'd take it." Chloe replied.

"We can work through this, if you want to that is, but you have to give me some time." Colin kissed her hands and she nodded, tears still streaming down her face.

"I hate to break this up, but we need to rescue Ariadne." Eames spoke up and stole a glance to the Point Man who looked like he was about to break.

"Right." Chloe nodded and turned to Arthur. "I really am sorry Arthur. Can you ever forgive me?" She asked.

Arthur stared blankly at her. "If we get Ariadne back safely we can talk about that. But right now, you're the last person I want to be around." He said coldly, turning away from her and sitting on the bed. He let his head fall into his hands and sat there, in thought.

Eames frowned and took a seat next to him. "We'll find her. Don't worry darling."

"They're probably taking her to Mombasa." Arthur mumbled.

"We need help." Colin spoke up. "We don't know where Chloe's son is and if Ariadne is in Mombasa we'll need two teams. One to rescue Ariadne and another to rescue Chloe's son."

"I'll call Cobb." Arthur said, his calm, stoic facade taking over again.

"Are you sure? He just got back to his family." Yusuf asked, uncertain.

"Yes. He brought her into this. He needs to at least know. And Miles will need to find out too." Arthur stood up, walked out of the room, pulled out his phone, and dialed Cobb's number.

It rang a few times and he heard a distracted voice on the other line along with children giggling.

"Hello?"

"Dom, it's Arthur…"

* * *

**Whoa...intense huh? Now trust me, things aren't gonna be pretty for Ariadne...I really believe Cobol is supposed to be an unmerciful company, and they would do whatever they wanted in order to get what they want...but don't worry, things will get better...just be patient! :) So let me know what you thought? Do you all hate Chloe now? Should she be forgiven? Was she right to turn in Ariadne in turn for her son's protection? Have a little sympathy for her...at least for me ;) If you really do hate her, then I did a good job writing her character...so with that said, leave a review and let me know what you thought! Thanks a lot! **

**P.S One of these days I promise to do a shout out to ALL of you regular reviewers 3  
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	21. When You Find Me

**The response I got for the last chapter was so overwhelming! Thank you guys! I'm so glad you liked it! Here is the next chapter for you. I wanted to get this up before the Oscars because once that starts I won't be on my computer...haha! So leave your wonderful reviews for this chapter! Thank you all! :D**

**Inception is Christopher Nolan's so he should win an Oscar for best screenplay ;)

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"Arthur? What's going on?" Cobb asked, sounding worried.

"Ariadne's been kidnapped." Arthur said and he heard Cobb curse before apologizing to Philippa and James.

"What happened?"

"It's a long story that I'd rather not talk about over the phone." Arthur replied.

"You want me to come help." Cobb stated rather than asked.

"Cobol probably took her to Mombasa, and there are other…complications, so we need you here. It's the least you can do. You brought her into this." Arthur accused.

"You're right. I just don't want to leave James and Philippa so soon. I just got them back."

"Yeah, well Ariadne needs you too. And be sure to tell Miles." Arthur snapped.

"Arthur, are you in love with her?"

"What? No! Why would you say that?" Arthur defended.

"You are! I know love when I see it. You have fallen for the young architect. Oh Arthur." He could hear the smile in Cobb's voice.

"Fine. Yes I am! You happy? But I may never get the chance to tell her! And if you're not in for this, then Eames, Yusuf, and I will go and save her. Just know that if anything happens to her, I'm blaming you." Arthur angrily said.

"Relax Arthur. I'll be there soon. I assume you're in Paris."

Arthur relaxed at Cobb's words. "Yes. Meet us at the warehouse."

"I will. And Arthur."

"Yeah."

"We'll get her out of there. I promise." Cobb said before hanging up.

Arthur sighed as he put his phone in his pocket and turned around to find Eames watching him carefully. Arthur was putting on his professional mask, not wanting to show weakness. He was the Point Man. He was used to be completely professional when needed to be, and this situation was no different than any other he had been in. But that was a lie. This situation was different. Ariadne was kidnapped and who knew what was happening to her.

"You alright?" Eames asked and Arthur looked at him, his expression unreadable and his posture straight.

"Yes." Arthur nodded, but Eames shook his head.

"No you're not. I can read you Arthur. You may have other people fooled, but I know you're worried and scared. Why don't you just let yourself show it for once?" Eames asked, grabbing Arthur's shoulders and holding him in place.

"I can't. We need someone to be level headed." Arthur replied, his voice void of any emotions.

"Arthur, just be human for once!" Eames shook him and Arthur yanked himself out of Eames' grasp.

"Eames, we don't have time for this. Dom is on his way. He should be here late tonight. We have to start planning and preparing for the rescue." Arthur told Eames before walking back into the room and informing the group about the phone call.

"Dom is going to be here late tonight. When he gets here we'll go over plans and discuss what we're going to do. I want everyone doing research and if you have any information at all," Arthur paused and looked at Chloe, "let me know immediately. Holding back information is NOT an option. Now let's get out of here and head back to the warehouse." Arthur quickly packed up the PASIV and grabbed his bag, not bothering to wait for the others. He was expecting them to be following him.

The others were rushing to keep up with Arthur. They were afraid to say anything to him right now. He may not be showing any emotions, but they all knew he was suffering right now, so they chose to keep quiet.

They all got into their cars and sped off back to Paris. Arthur was silent the whole way and Eames and Yusuf were feeling awkward and uncomfortable sitting in the car with him.

"I'll pick up Dom tonight." Arthur cleared his throat and told them.

"Alright. Whatever you feel is best." Eames replied sadly.

When they arrived at the warehouse Arthur immediately went to Ariadne's room and shut the door and locked it. He collapsed on the bed, allowing himself to break down for the first time. He felt his body shaking with unshed tears, but he wasn't allowing himself to cry. He just had to get this out of his system before he could think clearly.

He pulled Ariadne's pillow to him and held it close, breathing in her scent and imagining all of the horrible things they could be doing to her. All he wanted was to hold her close to him and keep her safe in his arms. Arthur stayed in Ariadne's room for the rest of the night. It wasn't until Cobb called him telling him he landed at the airport that he finally left the small room and headed out to pick up his friend and mentor.

* * *

Ariadne was yanked out of the van and thrown roughly to the ground. Rex and Darryl weren't being gentle with her and she was starting to feel aches where she was hit. She knew she would have plenty of bruises already. She tried to take in her surroundings, just in case she was able to escape and make it to a payphone. She had realized that she dropped her scarf and cell phone when they had grabbed her and tugged her out of the house.

"Come on!" Darryl sneered at her, his piercing blue eyes frightening her.

She stood up shakily and stumbled, her feet and hands still bound. Rex let out a frustrated sigh and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder. Darryl followed close behind watching Ariadne like a hawk.

They hadn't pulled out the gag from her mouth, so she didn't bother trying to talk, she would wait for them to unbind her before she let them have it. She looked around again, realizing that she was in a private airport and they were approaching a private jet. She gasped, knowing that if she left the country it would make it harder for Arthur to find her.

"Shut up!" Rex threw her up slightly and she felt the air get knocked out of her.

"We're taking you to our boss. You're going to tell us the answers to the questions we have for you. Resistance is futile." Darryl cruelly told her and they walked into the private jet, throwing Ariadne into a small room, they untied her gag and Ariadne spat at Rex.

Rex got furious and slapped her before roughly grabbing her and throwing her on the bed. He punched her a few times before pulling back and wiping his face off.

"Do that again and next time I won't be so merciful." Rex warned.

"What the hell do you want from me?" Ariadne shouted.

"We want answers. Answers that you WILL give to us." Darryl answered and Rex nodded.

"I'm not telling you anything." Ariande snapped and tried to sit up, but she felt sharp pains all over her body.

Rex walked over to the bed again and crawled on top of her.

"I guarantee by the time we're done with you, we'll have all the answers we need." He whispered, close to her face and Ariadne was trying to get as far away from him as possible. Rex climbed off of her and looked at Darryl.

"Tell the pilot we're ready for take off. You will be quiet the whole way, if you're not there will be consequences." Rex told her, undoing her binds he and followed Darryl out, shutting and locking the door behind him.

Ariadne gasped and moved her hands to her face, feeling her swollen cheek and eye. She inhaled sharply and pulled up her shirt, looking at the dark bruise that was forming on her stomach. For the first time since her mother died, Ariadne cried. She let all of the tears she had been holding in fall. She curled up into a ball, ignoring all the pain and let herself cry until she fell asleep.

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**Alright. So what did you think? Leave a review and I will be updating probably tomorrow...and if I feel really happy (if Inception wins anything tonight) I'll upload another chapter...so hope for wins! lol :D**


	22. No Boundaries

**Alright, so as I promised, Inception did win four awards, so I will update :) Although this is my chance to rant about how Inception SHOULD have won best score and best screenplay...I mean come on! Christopher Nolan came up with this brilliant idea on his own and it took him 10 years! He definitely deserved more credit than he was given...heck I'd even go for Best Picture! Maybe I'm biased, but oh well...anywho...here is the next chapter. It doesn't have Ariadne in the chapter, but it will in the next...and there is a long chapter coming your way soon! Review please! Disclaimer is above. (In my rant)  


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Arthur ignored all of the stares from the rest of the team as he walked out of the room and headed to the door. Eames was watching Arthur intensely, trying to see through Arthur's calm façade and stoic mask.

"Is he going to be alright?" Chloe asked, her voice small and full of guilt.

"As long as we get her back safely. I don't know how he'd react if she didn't make it." Eames replied, not tearing his eyes away from the door Arthur had just exited.

Chloe frowned and looked down, ashamed that she let things get this far. She should have trusted Arthur to help her. Heck, this whole team would have helped her had she asked. Now Arthur's love, though he had yet to admit it, was in danger, and it was all her fault.

She let out a sob and Colin wrapped his arm around her while Yusuf walked next to Eames.

"Your son will be alright. And so will Ariadne." Colin tried comforting her, but Chloe shook her head.

"This is all my fault!" She cried and Eames turned around and was about to say something harsh, but decided it wouldn't be the best idea.

"Chloe, you may have made some stupid decisions, but if everything turns out fine in the end, you will have helped Arthur realize that he does love Ariadne." Yusuf said and Eames turned to him surprised. He shrugged and Chloe looked at Yusuf, smiling warily.

"She is pretty good for him. I've never seen him look at a woman like the way he looks at her. I think she's the one." Chloe whispered and wiped away her tears.

"So what's your son's name?" Eames asked and Chloe looked at him shocked.

"Oh, uh it's Cameron." She smiled and pulled out her purse. She dug through it and pulled out a picture of him. He looked just like her and Colin and Eames smiled.

"Nice looking kid. Takes after his mother." Colin grinned.

* * *

Arthur was driving recklessly and he knew it. He was just in a hurry to get things settled so he could go after Ariadne. He pulled into the airport and parked, locking the door and rushing to the gates. He stood there impatiently, looking around for any sign of Cobb.

"Arthur!" Cobb called and waved at him. Arthur turned around and rushed over to him. Cobb pulled Arthur into a man hug and they walked out of the airport in silence, neither ready to bring up the subject of Ariadne.

Once they were in the car Cobb broke the silence, wanting to get all the details.

"So start from the beginning. What happened?" Cobb asked, nervous and worried.

"Ariadne left Los Angeles early. Apparently she met Colin on the flight back to Paris and he invited her for a drink. They hit it off and he asked her to be his architect for a job and she agreed. I left after her and I met Eames in the airport there, not aware that he had headed back to Paris too. I actually received a letter saying I was wanted in on a job. That's why I was at Paris. Colin, as you recall is Eames' brother, wanted Eames on the job too, and that's why he was back. When we met back at the warehouse, Ariadne was there. We found out Chloe was going to be the extractor on the job."

"Wait, your Chloe?" Cobb interrupted and stared at Arthur in disbelief.

"She's not mine. But yes, the Chloe I dated." Arthur replied.

"Wow. This is already a mess." Cobb chuckled humorlessly.

"I know. Anyways, Chloe informed us that we would be erasing memories from a woman's mind. Her name was Jaime Strauss."

"Whoa, Jamie Strauss? Arthur, you should have realized then and there that this wasn't a good idea."

"Why?" Arthur looked at Cobb curiously.

"Arthur, Jamie Strauss is the wife of the owner of Cobol."

"What? Dammit! I should have done better research!" Arthur cursed and hit the steering wheel.

"It's my fault. I didn't inform you on Cobol."

"I'm the Point Man. I'm supposed to find these things out!" Arthur raised his voice, frustrated with himself.

"Calm down. Now finish the story." Cobb replied, placing his hand on Arthur's shoulder.

Arthur inhaled deeply and continued. "Ariadne started getting followed a few days into the beginning stages of planning and Chloe informed us that the date for the job was moved up. We only had two days to prepare. I found out that Chloe had been hired by Cobol, but she didn't know why. When we went in for the job the dream didn't turn out as planned and we searched for each other. We found Ariadne, shot and when we woke up, she was taken. Chloe said she only sold out Ariadne because Cobol had taken her son." Arthur frowned.

"She has a son? I thought she miscarried?" Cobb asked.

"She lied." Arthur bitterly replied.

"Do you have any idea what they want Ariadne for?" Cobb asked.

"No. But knowing them, they'll try to get answers from her. And they won't be merciful. Do you think they took her to Mombasa?"

"It's the logical place. It's their headquarters and no one dares to step into their territory."

Arthur's face fell and he continued to stare blankly at the road. Cobb frowned and shook his head.

"We'll get her back safely Arthur."

"I hope so."

"This is a double mission right? We have to find Chloe's son too."

Arthur nodded. "Right. I have a plan already, but I want to run it by you first."

"Okay. What is it?"

"We'll split into three teams. Chloe and Colin can do the search for her son. We'll split up. I'll go with you and Eames and Yusuf can be a team. If we have to, we'll split up even more once we make it in."

"That could work. Yusuf will be with Eames, so he should be safe. Chloe and Colin can handle themselves. Alright, we'll just need to get an escape plan, a rescue plan, travelling plans. Will we need a safe house?" Cobb was thinking out loud and Arthur's mind began thinking quickly.

"We'll have three cars. That way we can easily escape if necessary. We may need a safe house, depending on the conditions of Ariadne and Chloe's son. I am still trying to figure out the other plans though." Arthur admitted.

"Arthur, you don't have to do all the work. I can help. Eames can help. We're in this together. Don't tire yourself out. If you exert all of your energy on planning, you'll be useless in the actual rescue. So just let us help too? We care about Ariadne just as much as you do." Cobb told Arthur. Arthur grunted and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Oh no. You love her don't you? I should have seen it coming. This explains a lot. Arthur, how long have you known?" Cobb asked.

"I don't know. It's been progressive." Arthur sighed. There was no holding back from Cobb. He knew Arthur too well.

"This makes it more dangerous. Arthur you can't let your emotions overrule your judgment." Cobb warned.

"I know! Why do you think I called you! I knew you'd be able to help! You understand what it's like to be in love! You know the consequences of acting on your emotions! I needed someone who understood to be there to keep me in line!" Arthur blurted out, leaving Cobb speechless.

"We'll get her." Cobb simply replied, ending the conversation and leaving them to ride the rest of the drive in silence.

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**I think Cobb deserved his own chapter...what do you think? I'll update again hopefully tomorrow. Depending on classes and if I get a chance to write again...so for now, review! :D**


	23. The Fear You Won't Fall

**Alright, here's the next chapter. I really enjoyed writing these next chapters...I've been looking forward to them actually. So I hope you enjoy them and thank you for all of your wonderful reviews! It means so much to me! So again read and review!**

**Inception was incepted into Christopher Nolan's mind...not mine :/

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Ariadne knew she was in trouble. If the way Rex and Darryl acted were any indication of what Cobol Engineering employees were like, she was in for much, much worse torture. She knew that she had to be brave and not talk. She wouldn't give them what they wanted. She couldn't.

It had been a few hours when she heard Rex and Darryl talking and they threw open her door, ready to bind her again.

"We just landed. Now be a good pretty little lady and don't struggle." Rex said, pulling out the rope and preparing to tie her up again.

Ariadne thought about trying to escape, but the odds were against her, so she sighed and let them tie her up. They pulled the ropes so tight she felt her skin rip open. She bit her lip to hold back a whimper. They did the same with her legs and then put the gag in her mouth.

"Just remember, as long as you give the answers our boss wants, no harm will come to you. The consequences of not talking are much worse than you can imagine." Darryl said, and they roughly dragged her out of the small room and out of the jet.

Ariadne looked around her and took in her surroundings. She couldn't really tell where she was since it was dark out, but she figured they had brought her to their headquarters.

"The boss will be meeting with you in the morning. Be prepared to give him what he wants." Rex informed her and they led her into the huge building, taking her to the basement, removing the gag, and throwing her in one of the cells they had.

"Rest up. You'll need it." Darryl wickedly said and left her.

"Aren't you going to untie me?" She shouted.

"Oh, sorry little lady, but you'll have to learn how to get comfortable with those ropes tied." Rex wickedly said, before following Darryl out and slamming the door. The room was overcome with darkness and Ariadne frowned. She grunted and tried her hardest to slip her hands out of the ropes, but it only caused her wrists to start bleeding. She turned around and hopped to the small bed and fell onto it, trying to find a comfortable position.

After many attempts she finally found a comfortable way to lie down. She then allowed herself to think about the others and wonder if they would find her. She was terrified. She already knew that she had a low tolerance for pain, and today wasn't even the start of what was to come.

She sighed and let her hot, silent tears roll down her face, hoping that her friends, her family, would find her soon and save her.

* * *

Arthur and Cobb arrived at the warehouse half an hour later. They walked in silently and were prepared to get to work as soon as possible. Cobb was starting to feel worried about his friend. He knew Arthur was extremely worried and he didn't want Arthur to break down while they were going after Ariadne.

"Cobb! It's good to see you again!" Eames declared and walked over to him, pulling him into an embrace and moving to the side as Yusuf shook Cobb's hand.

"It's good to see you too, despite these unfortunate circumstance." Cobb replied gravely.

"Dominic Cobb. I haven't seen you in years!" Chloe happily said as she made her way over to him and pulled him into a hug.

"How's the family?" She asked and Cobb stiffened.

Arthur was by his side instantly and Cobb smiled gratefully.

"Mal passed away a year ago. James and Philippa are doing great though. Growing like weeds." Cobb smiled fondly.

"I'm sorry to hear of your loss. But I'm glad that your children are doing well. I remember when Mal was pregnant with James. That was the last time I saw you guys, I believe." Chloe said.

"Yes it was." Cobb confirmed and stole a glance at Arthur, knowing that it was around the same time they had broken up.

"Enough of the small talk." Colin said. "We have an architect to save."

"And a child." Cobb added, looking at Chloe.

"Right." Colin smiled, confident that they would get through this.

"So Arthur told me his plans, I think it will work out. But we wanted to pass it by you first." Cobb said, pulling up a chair and sitting down, waiting for the others to follow suit. Everyone else did, except for Arthur, who remained standing.

"What's the plan?" Yusuf asked, looked at Arthur curiously.

"Well we will split into three teams. Yusuf and Eames. Chloe and Colin. And me and Cobb. We will raid the building quietly, probably at night when they're more vulnerable. We will take three separate cars in case one team has to get out of there fast. We'll search the building for Ariadne and Cameron. When we find them, we will quickly head out to the cars and leave. I know all of us know how to use weapons, so we won't need training for that. That gives us more time. We just have to figure out where Ariadne and Cameron are being held. Once we find that out, we'll make an entrance and escape route. Any other suggestions?" Arthur looked around and the rest of his teammates were silent.

Eames finally spoke up. "Do you really think you and Cobb being a team is the best idea? You guys are the strongest, Yusuf and I can handle ourselves ok, but it would be better to split the strongest members in order to ensure safety for all of us. Colin and Chloe can handle themselves. I've seen them do it, so they'll be fine."

Arthur looked at Cobb impatiently. He was sitting, deep in thought. "Alright. Arthur, you and Yusuf can be a team. Eames is right. By evening out the teams, we'll have a better chance of survival and success. Having us as one team would make the rest vulnerable. Is that alright with you?"

Arthur frowned and walked off. Cobb watched as Arthur entered Ariadne's room and sighed.

"What's got his panties in a twist?" Eames asked.

"He's worried. I think that he wanted us to be together because it's what he's comfortable with and used to. He probably thinks we will be the ones to find Ariadne and he wants to be there for that." Cobb sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I know how much he wants to save her, but it doesn't mean he will be the one to find her. Any one of us could be the one to find her." Chloe said and glanced at the closed door.

"He's really taking this hard." Yusuf whispered.

"He loves her." Cobb simply replied before standing up and heading to the room Arthur disappeared in.

* * *

Ariadne opened her eyes when she felt something bright on her face. She blinked a few times and noticed that there were three men waiting outside of her cell, the lights in the room turned on.

"Well look who finally decided to wake up. You can't be holding up the boss. He hates when he has to wait." Rex said, tapping his foot and motioning for Darryl to open the cell.

Ariadne struggled to sit up and waited for her impending torture. She allowed Darryl and the other man to drag her up the stairs and into a dark room. Her eyes started to adjust to the dark room and she noticed a man sitting on a chair across from her.

"Hello Miss Tremblay. I hope you're prepared to give me the answers I need." The mysterious man said, his voice deep and stoic. Ariadne gulped and frowned, fear now taking over her completely.

* * *

**So she is going to be interrogated soon...uh oh :| What will happen? Review and I'll probably update tomorrow! **


	24. Keeping the Innocent

**Hey everyone! Thanks for all the lovely reviews! It makes me excited to know that you are all enjoying this story and are so eager to find out what happens next! So here is the next chapter for you all! Hope you enjoy it and please continue to leave reviews and let me know what you think. Reviews are vital to me, they help me to know where I need to improve or what you all want to read. So reviews are my best friend ;)**

**Inception isn't mine...I get tired of saying that.

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Cobb knocked on the door and waited for Arthur. If he didn't open the door, he'd go in anyway. He heard some shuffling inside the room, but the door didn't open.

"Arthur, I'm going to come in anyway. You might as well open the door." Cobb warned.

Cobb listened and heard Arthur's soft footsteps and waited as he slowly opened the door, letting Cobb in. He closed the door behind him and stared at Arthur.

"Arthur, what's going on? This is so out of character for you. You always think about what's best and what the best plan to take is. You're compromising everything by acting emotionally. This is so not like you. So why don't you explain to me what's going on?" Cobb asked, sitting on the chair and waiting for Arthur to talk.

"There's nothing wrong." Arthur grumbled.

"Arthur, I've known you long enough to know when you're lying."

Arthur sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, leaving it messy and Cobb had to hold in a snicker.

"I promised Ariadne everything would be ok. I said I'd protect her and not let anything happen to her. After she was followed I had made it clear I would take care of her and be there for her. I broke that promise!" Arthur stood up and started pacing angrily.

"Arthur, there was nothing you could have done. All of you were lured into a trap. You didn't know that." Cobb reasoned.

"But I should have! It's my job to know the details Dom! I screwed up once again! And this time Ariadne's in danger!" Arthur raised his voice and stared at Cobb.

"Are you still hung up on that? Arthur, I may have been upset with you at the time, but it was my own fault. You would have looked harder had I told you about the sedatives. That has nothing to do with now." Cobb looked at his friend, shocked.

"I still could have done my job better. And this time I trusted Chloe too much to even think about anything being suspicious. I had full confidence in her, and that is a weakness. As the Point Man I am supposed to be thorough. This weakness makes me wonder…" Arthur trailed off, looking away from Cobb.

"Makes you wonder what?" Cobb asked, knowing what Arthur's next words would be.

"Makes me wonder if I'm cut out for this anymore." Arthur admitted and sat back down.

Cobb stared at Arthur surprised. He hadn't seen it coming earlier, but after hearing all of Arthur's words, he was starting to see signs of him wanting to retire. He sighed and gathered his thoughts before speaking up.

"We all feel this way at some point. The question is, are you feeling this way because you sincerely don't think you're cut out to be a Point Man anymore or because you want to settle down and have a normal life?" Cobb asked and Arthur's head snapped up.

"Because from where I'm standing it seems like the latter. You're an excellent Point Man, the best out there. You have no reason to doubt yourself. I think you have met someone that has made you question your lifestyle and now you're wondering if the extraction business really is what's best for you and for her." Cobb said.

Arthur stared at Cobb speechless. "I…I don't know. Dom, I don't know what's going on. I've never felt this way before. And Ariadne certainly wouldn't want to quit the extraction business. It's pure creation for her. I couldn't take it away from her. Besides, she doesn't even know how I feel. I don't know how she feels. There's no reason to assume anything." Arthur replied.

"Tell her. And if someday you both decide you want to quit extraction, then you can." Cobb smiled at him.

Arthur nodded and started thinking about her. "If we find her in time."

"We will. Speaking of that, we better get started. If we plan on getting over there soon, we better start planning and packing up." Cobb stood up and Arthur followed his suit.

"Hey Dom?"

Cobb turned to Arthur and raised his eyebrow, questioning.

"Thanks. Oh, and can we keep this conversation between us? I don't want to give Eames another reason to give me a hard time about." Arthur asked.

"Of course Arthur. I'm your friend first, colleague second, well for now at least." Cobb smiled at him and pulled him into a hug.

"Now let's go save your woman." Cobb grinned and elbowed him playfully as Arthur blushed. He started walking to the door and turned around.

"Oh, and if you break her heart, you'll have to answer to me." Cobb said and Arthur chuckled.

"Yes sir." Arthur mock saluted and the two friends walked out of the room confidently.

* * *

The man in the shadows stood up and walked towards Ariadne, lifting her chin up to look at her.

"My, my, aren't you a lovely one?" He grinned and leaned down. "Let's keep it that way shall we?"

Ariadne had the urge to spit at the man, but she knew that if she did he would get angry and beat her, so she sat there in silence, refusing to answer him.

"You're not going to talk? That's unwise." The man said and backhanded her. Her head snapped to the left and she felt tears in her eyes. She straightened up and looked at him defiantly.

"You best answer him little lady." Darryl said.

"Listen to Darryl. He knows how it goes." Rex nodded.

"So tell me, who hired you to perform Inception on Robert Fischer?" The man said.

"I'm not telling you anything." Ariadne hissed and the man punched her, causing her to let out a cry.

"I get what I want, so you're going to give it to me. You hear?" The man growled. "Who hired you?"

"That's none of your business!" Ariadne snapped and received another blow to the face.

"Who's on your team? I know Dom Cobb was the head extractor and his loyal companion, the Point Man. Arthur I believe. They may have gotten someone to clear their names with us, but that doesn't mean we're going to stop." The man ran his fingers across her shoulders and whispered into her ear. Ariande shrugged him away from her and received a kick to the stomach.

She gasped and tried to inhale, but the breath was knocked out of her. After a few minutes her breathing became normal again and she sat up straight.

"Tell me, why is a pretty woman like you working with criminals? Better yet, why did you perform Inception on Robert Fischer? Who hired you to do it?" The man kept asking, but Ariadne refused to answer. She kept her lips sealed tight, but not without consequences.

They had kept her in interrogation for two hours and by the time they had finished with her she had large cuts on her face, her lips was split and bleeding, she was sure she had a few broken ribs, her eye was swollen shut, she had bruises all over her body, and her face was covered in blood.

Rex and Darryl carelessly threw her into the cell she was being held in, but this time they released her binds, allowing her free movement. Not that she could really move much anyways.

"Tomorrow you better answer the questions. Boss doesn't like it when he doesn't get his answers." Rex said quietly before leaving her in the dark room.

She was in pain. Her whole body ached and she was convinced that if Arthur didn't rescue her soon, she'd be dead. She heard a small whimper in the cell next to her and tried to sit up, but it was too painful.

"Who's there?" She quietly asked, her voice quivering.

She heard some small sobs and a sniffle. "I want my mommy." The small voice finally said and Ariadne couldn't help but gasp.

"What's your name sweetie?" She asked softly.

"Cameron." The little boy answered.

"What's your mommy's name?" She asked.

"Chloe." The boy stated and Ariadne passed out, from both the shock and the pain.

* * *

The team cautiously watched Arthur and Cobb walk out. They both seemed to be in better spirits than before, but they couldn't be sure.

"Hey, so what's the plan?" Eames asked, eyeing Arthur warily.

"We're heading out tonight. Pack up and make sure you get everything you need. We'll stay in my safe house in Mombasa." Arthur replied, pulling out his bag and stuffing his things into it neatly.

"You have a safe house in Mombasa?" Eames asked in disbelief.

"I have a safe house in places you don't even know." Arthur grinned and turned to Cobb who was shaking his head.

"You ready?" Arthur asked him.

"I've been ready." Cobb replied and Arthur nodded. He turned to the rest of the team to see that they were scrambling across the warehouse, gathering their things.

Ten minutes later they were all packed in their cars and they headed to the airport. Arthur had already booked them all flights, and he had rentals waiting at the airport for them in Mombasa.

"There's a reason why you're the Point Man." Chloe told Arthur as they loaded the plane.

Arthur smiled sadly and patted Chloe on the back. "Thank you. And we'll find your son."

Chloe nodded and entered the plane. Arthur waited until everyone else was on before stepping into the small plane. This was it. His skills and abilities were going to be challenged in this short amount of time it took for them to get in and rescue Ariadne and Cameron.

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**Alrighty...what did you think? I hope I'm living up to your expectations...however know that I am six chapters ahead in writing when I post a chapter. So what's written is already done. I'm thinking about how I want to end this...any suggestions? Leave a review to let me know what you think! Thanks again! 3**


	25. We Won't Give Up

**Here's the next chapter. It's earlier tonight since I do have somewhere to be at 8, so I won't be able to update after that. Thank you all for the lovely reviews. Especially if you give kind criticism. It helps me improve my writing. And if you like my writing, just knowing that you enjoy it encourages me. So here is the next chapter for you. Hope you enjoy it! Leave a review!**

**Inception isn't mine...

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The flight to Mombasa seemed to be longer than the usual nine hours it took. Arthur was getting anxious. It was midnight when they left, which meant that they wouldn't arrive until eleven in the morning due to the time change. He began to think that if Ariadne had been captured two days ago, they would have already taken her to the boss for interrogation. He only hoped that she wasn't in bad condition. Little did he know that she was in horrible condition.

Chloe decided it was time to talk things over with Arthur. She had gone off and done something stupid, but she wanted to make amends with Arthur for it. She got up from her seat and moved to the empty one next to Arthur.

"Hey."

Arthur looked up at her coldly, breaking out of his thoughts. "Hey."

"Mind if I sit down?" Chloe asked, motioning to the seat next to him.

"No, go ahead." Arthur said uncomfortably. She smiled sadly and sat next to him, clearing her throat.

"Look, Arthur, I…I'm sorry about all of this. It's all my fault. I really should have thought better than to just agree to anything or jump into a job with people I knew nothing about, but I was given no choice. They took Cameron and all I wanted to do was get him back." Chloe said, looking at Arthur.

Arthur sighed. "Chloe, you made a stupid decision. You of all people should know the importance of details and knowing all the facts. You dated me for three years and have known me for almost all of our lives, you should have picked up on my habits. I'm still really upset with you, but I understand why you did it. What I don't understand is why you didn't just come and tell us. We could have helped you." Arthur shook his head, thinking about the whole situation.

"I know. I'm an idiot. But I'm asking for your forgiveness. I want to fix things." Chloe pleaded, waiting for Arthur.

Arthur sat there for a few moments, thinking about his answer. He couldn't stay mad at her forever. After all, they were friends and had been friends for a long time. But if something happened to Ariadne, he didn't know if he'd be able to forgive Chloe.

He looked at Chloe and observed her anxious expression. She was watching him nervously. She was biting her lip and he could see her trembling. He sighed and looked her in the eye.

"Chloe, I do forgive you, but I don't think I will be able to be friends with you. I don't want to hate you if something happens to Ariadne, but I know that if she doesn't come back safely, I will. I'll just need some time, but sometimes time doesn't even heal all wounds." Arthur replied and Chloe nodded sadly, knowing that this was the best she was going to get from him.

"I hope we can go back to the way things were." Chloe said as she stood up. She smiled at him and walked back to her seat next to Colin.

As soon as Chloe had left, Eames stood up and took a seat next to Arthur. He took in Arthur's appearance and frowned. Stealing a look to the rest of his teammates, he allowed Arthur to gather his thoughts.

"How are you holding up?" Eames asked sympathetically.

"I'm fine Eames." Arthur said stoically.

"You don't have to hide your emotions. I know you're afraid and worried." Eames pointed out.

"Eames, I don't need your sympathy. You know I hate sympathy and having people feel sorry for me." Arthur snapped.

"I'm not being sympathetic. I am afraid and worried too Arthur. I know what you're feeling." Eames reasoned.

"You don't know how I'm feeling." Arthur mumbled.

"No, I don't know exactly how you're feeling. I'm not in love with the girl, but she's like a sister to me and I don't want anything to happen to her just as much as you."

"I can't let my emotions get in the way Eames. This is a mission. If something as trivial as my emotions get in the way, it could jeopardize the whole mission, and we don't need that." Arthur said.

"I know darling, just don't be so uptight and heartless. I know what you're feeling deep down. Cobb does too. Just know that you don't have to carry the weight on your own. There are other people who want to help. We all want to bring her back safely. Which is what we'll do. Now chin up." Eames said, tapping Arthur's chin and standing up, ignoring the glare the Point Man gave him. "Oh and get some rest will you? We need you to be at your best, and if you're half asleep you will be of no use to us and Ariadne."

Arthur watched Eames walk back to his seat and lean his chair back, closing his eyes. Arthur stole a look at Cobb and noticed that the Extractor was fast asleep. He felt bad for pulling Cobb into this, but he knew Cobb was willing to help. He then looked at Yusuf who was also asleep. He shook his head, knowing he should follow his teammates example and rest up. With that he leaned his chair back, closed his eyes, and dosed off, dreaming of Ariadne.

* * *

Ariadne woke up to Rex and Darryl opening her cell and dragging her out of it. She heard Cameron begging them to leave her alone and his loud sobs filled her ears as she hung limply between the two men.

"Shut up you little brat! We don't want to hear your annoying little cries. If you don't be quiet we'll hurt your mother. We'll find her and hurt her!" Darryl yelled at Cameron. Ariadne wanted to shout at him, but she was too weak to.

The two of them set Ariadne in the chair that she was in the previous day and she lazily lifted up her head to stare at the man that was in front of her.

"Are you ready to talk today?" He asked.

Ariadne grunted and glared at him. The man's face twisted into an angry expression and he stood up and kicked her hard. She felt her ribs snap and the sound they made as the cracked made her sick. She let out a loud cry and inhaled deeply, but the pain was sharp.

"Don't make me do worse." The man warned. Ariadne focused on her breathing, trying to even it out so that it didn't hurt when she inhaled and exhaled. She was sure she had at least three broken ribs.

"I told you, I won't tell you anything." Ariadne replied, her voice quivering.

"Don't try to be strong. Because I. Will. Break. You." The man clenched his teeth and stared her straight in the eye, grabbing her face.

"Now. I won't ask again. Who hired you?"

Ariadne lifted her head and looked him in the eye. "Go to hell!"

This mad the man furious. He grabbed Ariadne by the throat and squeezed hard, causing her to gasp for air and grip at his fingers, trying to pull them away. He squeezed harder and let go, grabbing her wrist and twisting it behind her until it snapped. She cried out in pain and crumpled to the floor.

"Tomorrow's your last chance. Answer or die." He told her as he walked away.

"Rex. Darryl. Give her a good beating, then send her back to her cell." He glanced at the two men before closing the door behind him. They nodded and walked to her.

Rex pulled Ariadne up, ignoring her hisses of pain and slapped her. Her already swollen face turned red and Ariadne tried her hardest to not give them the satisfaction of hearing her scream.

Darryl pulled out a knife and cut a line along her collarbone. He lifted her shirt slightly and cut another line going down her ribs. She bit her lip to keep herself from crying out.

About a dozen punches later they dragged Ariadne back into the cell. They threw her in and she didn't bother trying to break her fall, she was too weak. After they left, Cameron's tiny voice echoed in the room.

"Are you ok?" He asked. Ariadne tried to smile and look at him, but she felt sobs rising in her throat and shook her head. She choked on a sob and crawled slowly to the bed. As she carefully pulled herself onto it, she felt her body shaking.

She looked down at her injuries and frowned. Her wrist was definitely broken, she had a few broken ribs, bruises were forming all over her body and her face was swollen, she examined the cuts on her and quickly pulled at the sheets on the bed and tied them around the wounds to stop the bleeding.

"Are you ok?" Cameron asked again. Ariadne looked towards him and frowned.

"I'm ok." She whimpered.

"You don't sound or look ok. Those men are mean. Mommy says to stay away from strangers, but they told me they knew mommy, so I went with them." Cameron said, his voice tiny and afraid.

"Mommy will come and save you. She has friends that will save you too." Ariadne assured him, wincing at every movement she made.

"What about you? Will they save you too?" He asked, concerned.

"I hope so." She mumbled as she looked up at the ceiling.

"They have to!" Cameron exclaimed. Ariadne's thoughts went to Arthur and the rest of the team.

"They may not have enough time." She whispered to herself, losing herself to unconsciousness again.

* * *

Arthur was woken up by Cobb shaking him. He sat up instantly and looked around, alarmed.

"We just landed. We need to get to the safe house, find the headquarters, and go in and get her." Cobb said, helping the groggy Point Man stand up.

Arthur nodded and grabbed his things, quickly exiting the plane and Eames patted him on the back.

They arrived at Arthur's safe house quickly and went over the plans again before heading out to stake out at Cobol's headquarters.

"We can't strike until later tonight when it's dark. It will be easier to sneak in. We'll all go in and once we find her and Cameron, we'll send a text to the rest of us. This will signal us to leave and head back to the safe house. Any questions?" Cobb asked. Everyone remained silent, assuring Cobb they understood the plan. They were all on edge, ready to go in and rescue their beloved Architect and Chloe's son.

* * *

**So what did you think? Also this story will be coming to an end soon. I plan on making this story about 45 chapters long or so...so if you have an ideas or suggestions for a new fanfic, leave them in a review and I will start to think of a plot line. Thanks for reading! Leave a review!**


	26. Holding Out For A Hero

**Thank you all for reading and leaving reviews! I'm so glad you are still enjoying my story. Now here is the next chapter for you! Hope you like it! **

**Inception isn't mine...

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They sat observing the building the whole day. Arthur took in all the details on the outside and he had his laptop out quickly researching all of the rooms on the inside. He was preparing for everything. He wasn't going to let a single detail escape him.

Cobb watched him carefully throughout the day. He saw no sign of emotional struggles, and that actually worried him a little bit.

"Arthur, are you sure you're alright. It's not normal to be so unattached from everything. You're not showing any emotion. Normally it would be fine, but this is a different circumstance."

Arthur closed his laptop and turned to his friend. "I'm fine. Right now all that matters is going in there and getting both of them out safely. And before you say anything, yes, I am afraid. I'm afraid we might be too late." Arthur said, looking away and staring at the large building in front of him.

Cobb nodded. "Alright. How does it look on the inside?"

"We should be alright. There are security cameras everywhere, but as long as we navigate around them we should be fine. I emailed the others the layout so they can study it. In a few hours Eames and I are going to switch places." Arthur said as he looked at his watch then back at Cobb.

"You think they will be able to learn the layout in a few hours? We're going in pretty soon."

"They should be fine." Arthur nodded.

The three hours went by faster than Arthur anticipated. He was ready to head in and get Ariadne out of there and he knew Chloe was just as anxious as he was. As soon as the lights started to go off Arthur signaled for them to head in.

He had wanted to be with Cobb. He felt more comfortable with it, but Eames was right. Distributing the stronger people was wiser. As he and Yusuf entered the building, Arthur motioned for Yusuf to stay behind him and follow his moves. Arthur peeked around the corner and spotted the first camera. He studied it and after a few minutes he motioned for Yusuf to walk slowly in the dark corners. It was the only way they'd escape.

* * *

Eames and Cobb were carefully making their way down some stairs. They had to go extra slow because there were multiple security cameras in the halls and in the stairwell. Arthur had told them to make sure to stay hidden in the shadows. It was the only way they'd make it out alive.

Eames was breathing heavily and Cobb smacked him. Eames raised his hands in question and shook his head.

"It's bloody hot in here." Eames defended and Cobb rolled his eyes.

"That way. Look, there's a door." Cobb pointed and the Forger followed Cobb's gaze.

"You think she's in there?"

"Maybe. Come on."

They briskly walked towards the door, staying on lookout of more cameras in the area. Cobb noticed one and pulled Eames back before he walked into sight.

"We'll have to figure out how to cover it or something. It's watching the door." Cobb sighed. Eames grinned and pulled out a silencer and shot the camera.

"We won't have much time. If she's in there and they notice that the camera is out, they'll be down here in a flash. So move fast." Eames said and they ran to the door and shoved it open.

It was completely dark inside and Cobb had to search for some kind of light. Eames was tapping the wall and he heard a small click.

"Here's the switch." Eames said as he flipped on the light.

* * *

Colin and Chloe were forced to be outside. After much protest they had relented. They were to be prepared for gunfire and if they received word they were to go and start all of the cars and prepare to leave immediately.

"I don't see why we had to stay back." Chloe frowned and crossed her arms, keeping a lookout.

"Don't worry. I have faith in my brother and his friends. They know what they're doing and they will bring Cameron out safe." Colin pulled her into a hug and she rested her head against his chest.

"And if he isn't here?" She mumbled.

"Then we'll find him wherever he is." Colin assured her.

"Thanks Colin." She smiled softly and pulled away, returning to her duties.

* * *

Arthur was getting frustrated. They hadn't found any signs of Ariadne or Cameron and he was beginning to wonder if they were even here. He heard some footsteps and whispering and he pulled Yusuf into a corner.

"They're making rounds!" Arthur hissed and Yusuf looked at him, terrified. He always hated being in the middle of things.

"What happens if they catch us?"

"We run." Arthur replied.

They hid in the darkness and held their breath as the two men walked off, not even glancing around to see if anyone was in the room. They let out a sigh of relief and continued on, hoping that they'd find what they came looking for.

* * *

"Cobb! There she is!" Eames pointed to the cell where Ariadne was asleep. Cobb took one look at the Architect and frowned.

"Oh Ariadne. What did they do to you?" He sadly asked himself.

"Look! There's the kid too." Eames exclaimed.

"Get the boy. I'll get Ariadne. We have to move quick." Cobb ordered and Eames nodded.

Cobb broke into the cell and walked over to Ariadne, gently shaking her.

"Ariadne. Wake up."

Ariadne groaned and Cobb took in her appearance up close. Her injuries were extreme and he was worried for her. He carefully picked her up and her eyes snapped open as she let out a cry of pain.

"I'm sorry Ariadne. We're going to get you out of here." Cobb soothed her and gently shifted her weight. She let out another gasp and Cobb frowned.

"Got the kid." Eames said, holding the small boy in his arms, who was clutching him tightly.

"We're going to get you back to your mommy ok?" Cobb gently told him and the little boy nodded, tears streaming down his face as he looked at Ariadne.

"Come on. We have to move now. Text Arthur and Colin. Let them know we need to get out now."

Eames nodded and quickly typed a message. They proceeded to exit the room and turn off the light, trying to make it seem as normal as it was before they were there.

Cobb heard Ariadne mumbling something, but he couldn't make it out. He was afraid she was delirious now and he knew she needed immediate medical attention. They rushed up the stairs as quietly as they could and traced their steps back.

Ariadne moaned loudly and Cobb stopped suddenly, not wanting to go on if she was going to be making noises.

"Ariadne. Listen to me. I need you to try to be as quiet as you can ok? We have to slip out of here unnoticed." Cobb told her and she nodded weakly, biting her lip.

"Where's Arthur." She asked airily. Her throat sounding dry and her words coming out in pants.

"He's here. We split up. But we'll meet back up at the cars. Don't worry. Right now we need to get you out of here. Can you wrap your arms around my neck and hold on?" Cobb asked. She shook her head.

"My wrist. I think it's broken." Ariadne said, but she flung her other arm around his neck.

"Alright. We'll get you out of here."

"We'll take care of you, love." Eames quietly said and they practically ran to where they entered the building. They heard loud voices and shouting and Cobb shot Eames a worried look. They sprinted out of the building and when they reached the car Cobb gently placed Ariadne in the back seat and Eames crawled into the drivers seat, still clutching the small boy.

* * *

Arthur felt his phone buzz and he pulled it out. His heart stopped at the message.

_Found her. Meet at the safe house._

Arthur sighed in relief and turned to Yusuf who was staring blankly ahead of him. Arthur turned around and saw the two men walking their way. They had no way to get out of their view, but they tried to run.

"Hey! What are you two doing in here!" The man shouted and pulled out his gun.

"They found them! We're meeting back at the safe house." Arthur informed Yusuf as he pulled out his gun. He turned around to look over his shoulder and dodged a bullet. Yusuf let out a cry and Arthur shot back.

"Whatever you're doing here, we'll get you!" The other man shouted.

"Shut up Darryl!" The first man yelled and shot back at Arthur.

"I'm just doing my job Rex!" Darryl snapped back and shot at Yusuf.

"If they're following us how are we going to escape?" Yusuf asked, pulling out his gun and shooting at the two men.

"I'll stop them." Arthur said determinedly. He shot twice and hit Rex in the shoulder. He stumbled and fell, clutching his arm. Darryl kept running and Yusuf shot at him, but Darryl was much better at dodging the bullets. Arthur, frustrated, stopped, aimed, and shot Darryl in the knee. He screamed and crumpled to the floor.

"Hurry!" Arthur shouted and Yusuf broke into a sprint. He saw Chloe and Colin pulling away just as they made it to their car.

"Did they say anything else?" Yusuf asked, panting. Arthur shifted the car into drive and peeled out, quickly heading back to the safe house, wanting to see Ariadne.

"No. They just said to meet them there." Arthur sighed.

Yusuf remained silent and gripped the handle on the door as Arthur accelerated. He wasn't concerned about being pulled over. His only thoughts were on Ariadne and what condition she was in.

* * *

Cobb pulled into the hidden drive way and parked in the garage. Eames took Cameron inside and set him on the couch, telling him to wait there. Cameron nodded and looked around, wide-eyed. Eames then turned around to help Cobb with Ariadne.

"Eames, go prepare a bed for her!" Cobb barked and Eames turned around quickly and ran to the guest bedroom across from Arthur's master bedroom. He threw some of the pillows on the ground and placed two at the head for Ariadne. Cobb walked in with an unconscious Ariadne and gently placed her on the bed.

Eames took this moment to look at her injuries. "My God." Eames whispered. "What did they do to her?"

"They tortured her. It's what they do best." Cobb replied, his voice cold. He heard the door open and a squeal.

"Mommy!"

"Cameron! Thank God!" She exclaimed and both Eames and Cobb walked out to observe the happy moment.

"Thank you!" Chloe said through tears as she held onto Cameron tightly. Colin was smiling and gave a nod of approval to Eames.

"There's a guest room over here. You can take that one." Cobb motioned for her and she nodded in gratitude and stood up, taking Cameron with her.

"Sorry, but it looks like you'll be sharing a room with me." Colin winked at his brother and Eames groaned.

"Why can't I just stay with Ariadne?" Eames whined.

"Because she's staying with me."

The three of them turned to see Arthur's disheveled look in shock. Eames quickly turned serious and nodded. Cobb frowned.

"Where is she?" Arthur asked, his voice cracking.

"In there." Cobb pointed and Arthur pushed past him and into the room. Cobb and Eames decided to give Arthur a moment before walking in.

When Arthur saw Ariadne lying there, her body covered with bruises, cuts, her face swollen, and her blood stained shirt, he felt his throat tighten. He felt as if the air had been knocked out of him. He stumbled to her side and fell to his knees at the floor. He gently stroked her hair, not wanting to cause her any more pain.

"Oh Ari. What have they done?" Arthur asked and he felt her shift slightly. He looked at her face anxiously.

She opened her eyes and blinked a few times before her face scrunched up in pain. Arthur stood up and took her hand in his. She stared at him confused.

"Arthur?" She croaked. Arthur nodded.

"I'm here. You're safe now."

She tried to move but whimpered.

"Don't move. Just relax." Arthur told her.

"Everything hurts." Ariadne told him and Arthur nodded.

"She needs to go to the hospital." Cobb's voice caused him to turn around and look at him. Eames followed close behind him.

"Not here in Mombasa. They'll find us. We have to take her somewhere else."

"I just called Saito. He'll send us his private jet and he has his own doctors. They can check up on her." Eames said.

"What?" Arthur looked at Eames, surprised.

"I'm smarter than you give me credit for." Eames smirked but his look softened when he looked at Ariadne.

"I'm sorry love. We should have trained you more."

"They took me by surprise Eames. I was waking up when they attacked me. And there were two of them." Ariadne whispered and coughed, wincing as the pain seared through her body.

"Easy. Don't talk." Arthur said.

"Actually, we need to know where your injuries are. We can fix up a few of them." Cobb spoke up and moved to stand next to Arthur.

"My wrist, I'm pretty sure it's broken. My ribs. I don't know how many, but I heard them crack. I have these two cuts." Ariadne lifted up her shirt and showed them the cut going down her ribs and pointed to the one on her collarbone.

"The rest are just bruises everywhere." Ariadne whispered.

"We'll disinfect those wounds and there's not much we can do about the breaks. We have a few ace bandages we could wrap around your wrist, but for your ribs we can't do much. The doctor will have to fix that. And Yusuf is good at stitching things up. We can stitch up your two cuts." Cobb told her.

She smiled softly and looked at Arthur. He was staring at her, pain in his eyes. She held out her uninjured hand to him and he gently grabbed it.

"Stay with me." Ariadne said. Arthur nodded and Eames left to bring back a small cot and a few blankets and pillows.

"Cobb, you can take the master bedroom." Arthur said, not taking his eyes off of Ariadne.

"Arthur, you don't have to."

"I'll be in here anyways. Besides, I owe you."

"Alright. Let's get her fixed up first." Cobb said, leaving the room and returning with Yusuf and the first aid kit.

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**I don't know why, but from this chapter and on I feel more self-conscious about my writing. Almost to the point where I want to start them over...anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Leave a review and let me know what you think!**

**Thanks.**


	27. Use Somebody

**Sorry it took so long to update...well it was just two days, but still. Friday was super busy. I had classes all day, then when I got out we celebrated my friend's birthday and I didn't get home til late and I crashed as soon as I hit the bed. Then Saturday was my other friend's birthday and we were out of town all day and didn't get back til late again, so I didn't get to update...but I had some time today and wanted to update for you! Thank you for being so patient and thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad you like my story. Anywho...here's the next chapter. Enjoy! **

**Inception isn't mine...I'm still trying to figure out how I can own part of it...haha...just kidding...sort of...

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Yusuf was surprisingly gentle as he cleaned Ariadne's wounds and prepared to stitch her up. The stinging from the disinfectant caused Ariadne to grip the sheets tightly. Arthur noticed this and was at her side instantly. He gently pulled her hand to his and she squeezed it, anticipating what was to come.

"This is going to hurt." Yusuf warned and Ariadne nodded. He inserted the needle and began stitching her up. She bit her lip, squeezed her eyes shut, and gripped Arthur's hand so tight he felt it going numb.

Yusuf finished the first cut and put some gel and gauze on it to protect it from snagging onto her shirt or getting infected. He then proceeded to stitch up her other cut, which was more sensitive and Ariadne cried out when the needle pierced her skin.

"Sorry." Yusuf looked at her apologetically and continued his work. Each time he threaded the needle through, Ariadne let out a small whimper and everyone in the room winced, knowing that getting stitches was painful.

Yusuf finished his work within half an hour and he quickly cleaned up his mess.

"I'll get an ace bandage for your wrist. We should really get that in a splint for now. It's the best I can do." Yusuf told Ariadne and she nodded. He left the room and Eames and Cobb gathered around Ariadne.

"Get some rest tonight ok?" Cobb said and smoothed some hair out of her face. She smiled slightly at him and her eyes moved to Eames.

"Don't scare us like that again." Eames told her and kissed her forehead. "I'm never letting you out of my sight ever again." He joked and she smiled at him. It wasn't much of a smile considering the amount of swelling on her face, but it was a smile nonetheless.

"Cobb." Ariadne managed to say. He turned around and looked at her curiously.

"You didn't have to come all this way just for me. You have your children to think about." Ariadne told him.

He shook his head and moved closer to the bed. "I owed you one. If it weren't for you I wouldn't be with my children now. Besides, I wanted to help. You're part of the family now, whether you like it or not."

Ariadne smiled and noticed the look Cobb gave Arthur. She chose to ignore it for now, too tired and in too much pain to push into it.

"Now get some rest kiddo." Cobb teased and left the room, leaving the Point Man and the Architect alone.

"Thank you Arthur." Ariadne whispered.

"For what? It's my fault you were kidnapped and…beaten." Arthur frowned and sat down on the bed, careful not to hurt her

"You saved me." Ariadne replied, choosing to ignore his latter comment.

"I didn't save you. Eames and Cobb did." Arthur looked down and back up at her.

"I bet you were the one who planned it all." Ariadne's lopsided smile caused Arthur to smile back at her.

"You got me there." Arthur chuckled and brushed her hair out of her face. He let his hand rest gently on her cheek, his thumb stroking it softly.

Ariadne closed her eyes, enjoying the moment. When Arthur pulled his hand away she opened her eyes and stared at him curiously.

"You should get some rest. You need it. Tomorrow we'll be getting you to a doctor. You need to get your wrist in a cast and they need to check the extent of your broken ribs." Arthur said and stood up, walking over to his cot.

Ariadne frowned. Despite the untimely manner of their moment, she had expected and hoped he'd kiss her. Not happy with him she tried sitting up and whimpered. Arthur turned around and saw her trying to move.

"Hey. Easy. You don't need to move too much." He gently said and cocked his head at her frustrated expression. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"Arthur." Ariadne exhaled loudly as she shifted her body weight.

"What is it?" He asked, his brows furrowing and watching her carefully. She held her hand out to him and he cautiously took it, his eyes never leaving hers.

"What's going on?" She asked him which caused him to become even more confused.

"You don't remember what happened?" Arthur asked, worry etched in his voice.

"No, not that. I remember what happened Arthur." She snapped and sighed. "I mean what's going on with us?"

Arthur, startled by her straightforward answer, sat there in silence. He was thinking over his answer. What were they? He knew that he really liked her, cared for her, but they had never really crossed that line. They were coworkers. Friends. Now that she brought up the big question he didn't know how to answer.

He opened his mouth and closed it, wondering if his next words would be the best. He sighed and looked at her.

"Whatever you want it to be." Arthur replied and Ariadne squeezed his hand.

"But do you want it too?" She asked shyly.

"Depends on what you want 'it' to be." Arthur replied, their eyes locked.

"Arthur, I really like you. A lot. I have for a while. I'm pretty sure it's been since the kiss on the Fischer job, maybe before. But how do you feel?" Ariadne pressed.

Arthur smiled and leaned in slowly, choosing to show her how he felt. He paused just before his lips met hers, allowing her to pull away if she wanted to. She quickly closed the distance and Arthur had to remember to be gentle, but Ariadne wouldn't have it. She kissed him with a little more passion and Arthur gave in. It wasn't until Ariadne gasped and winced that he pulled back quickly.

"I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" He asked worriedly.

She shook her head and clutched her side. "No. I just have to remember that breathing deeply hurts and my lips aren't in the best condition." She panted and Arthur frowned.

"Maybe kissing wasn't the best idea. Especially right now." Arthur watched her intensely.

"No. I…I liked it. I needed it too." Ariadne shyly replied, avoiding his gaze. "It's a nice reassurance right now."

Arthur grinned and pecked her lips softly, not allowing her to deepen it this time. When he pulled away she pouted.

"Now go to sleep." Arthur told her, tapping her nose playfully.

"Yes sir." Ariadne quietly teased and relaxed her body, finding a comfortable position as she laid down. She had a feeling she wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight, but she would try for Arthur.

Her eyes followed Arthur's movements as he walked to his cot, his back turned to her. She watched as he unbuttoned his vest and shirt and placed them on the chair to his left. She had to stifle a giggle as she noticed that Arthur had yet another layer on underneath his button up shirt. He chose to leave that on and when he started to undo his belt Ariadne felt herself blushing. She looked away, afraid that he would turn around and catch her staring at him as he undressed.

She looked back quickly and saw Arthur slip onto the cot in boxers and the white t-shirt he was wearing. She sighed contently, her cheeks still a little flushed from watching him get ready for bed. He turned to look at her and smiled.

"Goodnight Ari." He said and leaned to turn off the lamp.

"Goodnight Arthur." She whispered and closed her eyes, letting much needed sleep wash over her.

Arthur listened to Ariadne's breathing and when he heard it even out and slow he allowed himself to close his eyes and fall asleep.

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**Alright, so it has a little fluff...but I couldn't resist...what did you think? I hope you liked it and I hope it was worth the wait :) Leave a review!**


	28. See Through

**Last chapter received a lot of response. It makes me excited. Here is the next chapter. It's basically another filler, but I really enjoyed writing this one. Let me know what you think! **

**Inception n'est pas le mien

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Arthur was woken up by Ariadne's screaming. He practically leaped out of the small cot he was sleeping on and was at her side in less than a minute. She was lashing out and Arthur was worried she might cause more damage to her injuries.

"NO!" She screamed, swatting her hand away. "I won't tell you anything!"

"Ariadne!" Arthur shook her, careful to avoid her injuries.

"I said I won't tell you anything! Keep your hands off of me!" Ariadne shrieked and Arthur had to figure out how to wake her without hurting her. He quickly moved to the table next to him and grabbed the glass of water that Eames had placed there earlier. He tossed it on her face and she woke up gasping.

"Ari, it's ok. I'm here." He said soothingly, sitting on the bed and allowing her to grab onto him. She hissed but ignored the pain, wanting nothing more than to be as close to Arthur as possible.

By now the whole house was woken up. Cobb and Eames were standing just inside the room and Chloe and Colin were looking in worriedly.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Arthur asked quietly. He could feel her body shaking and he turned his head and noticed the others standing there. He shot a glare at Colin and Chloe, but Eames and Cobb simply walked in and took a seat, wanting to hear what Ariadne had to say.

"Yes." She sobbed and looked up, noticing Cobb and Eames sitting down. She looked up at Arthur, afraid and looked back towards the door, not wanting to talk if Colin and Chloe were around. Her trust for Chloe had been destroyed after she was shot by her in the dream.

"Close the door." Arthur softly ordered and Eames stood up and shut the door with a click.

He turned around and the three men waited for Ariadne to start talking. She was still shaking from her nightmare and Arthur began to rub circles on her back.

"You should lay back. Are you in any pain?" Ariadne shook her head despite the stinging she felt in her chest. She didn't want to move from her position. Arthur frowned and looked at Cobb who was also frowning.

"What happened Ari?" Arthur asked again.

"When I woke up they didn't go after me right away. They wanted me to go with them willingly, I was about to push you over when they grabbed me and twisted my arms back so I couldn't move much." Ariadne said, looking at Arthur, ashamed.

"When they took me they said they wanted me to do a job for them. On the plane they locked me up in a small room and when I struggled they would beat me." Ariadne paused, remembering how she got backhanded and punched.

"I'll kill them." Eames muttered.

"At Mombasa they kept me in the cell you found me in." She turned to look at Eames and Cobb. "Every evening they would come get me and take me to be interrogated by their boss. He never said his name, but it was obvious they didn't want me to do a job for them. They wanted answers." Ariadne quivered.

"What answers?" Cobb asked, alert.

"They wanted to know about the Inception. He asked who hired us and who was on the team. When I wouldn't answer he would beat me. One time I really pissed him off and that's when he broke my ribs and wrist." Ariadne said and looked up at the men in the room.

"Ari…" Arthur whispered into her hair.

"I didn't want to give you guys away." Ariadne said.

"How did they find out about the Inception? We only did that a month ago. There's no possible way they could have known about it so soon. Chloe knew about Ariadne right away, which is why Colin recruited her. I just don't understand how they could have known." Eames began ranting, pacing around the room as he did so.

"They must have kept an eye on us." Cobb replied, looking at Arthur. "They don't let failure go unpunished. If they kept tabs on us, there's a possibility they found out about Inception, but because Arthur covered up the trails of all of us, they must have had a harder time finding us. When they heard about an Architect better than me, they must have started searching harder and found out about the Inception." Cobb sighed and rubbed his face, frustrated.

"Cobb, are your kids safe?" Ariadne asked suddenly.

"Yes, they're with Miles. Speaking of him, I should give him a call and tell him we found you. He's going to want to talk to you." Cobb answered and smiled softly as he pulled out his phone.

The others sat in silence, as Cobb called Miles to check up on him and the children. As the phone rang he took the time to observe his friends. Arthur was holding Ariadne close to him, gently stroking her hair and rocking her softly. Cobb hid a smile and looked to Eames. He noticed that Eames was also trying to hide a smirk as he watched the couple. Eames made eye contact with Cobb and he rolled his eyes and made a kissing face. Cobb stifled a laugh and straightened up when he heard Miles answer.

"Dom is that you? Where are you? Is Ariadne alright?" He sounded worried and Cobb was quick to inform him.

"We're in Mombasa. We're trying to head out tomorrow. Ariadne is fine. We're going to get her to the doctor as soon as possible though." Cobb replied.

"How bad are her injuries?" Miles asked.

"She has a broken wrist, a few broken ribs, bruises all over, two cuts, and her face is swollen." Cobb sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I want to see her Dom." Miles finally said. Cobb could hear the hidden emotions in his voice and pondered for a minute.

"Alright. Bring the kids." Cobb agreed.

"Are you sure it's safe?" Miles asked, uncertain.

"We're going to work things out with a friend in high places. He'll give us security if we need it." Cobb answered.

"I'd feel more comfortable if they stayed with their grandmother." Miles replied and Cobb remained silent.

"Do what you think is best." Cobb relented.

"Alright Dom. I'll see you soon. Tell Ariadne to feel better." Miles quickly said and hung up.

"Miles is coming." Cobb told Ariadne and she looked at him with wide-eyes, or as much as she could widen them.

"What? Why?" Ariadne asked, her voice rising in pitch. Arthur continued to rub her back and he kissed her temple softly.

"He wants to see you. He's quite determined." Cobb shook his head and smiled. "He probably wants to see what kind of trouble I got his best and brightest student in."

Ariadne frowned and closed her eyes. She was starting to feel really tired again but she didn't want to fall asleep on her friends.

"I think we better leave the little lady to sleep." Eames said, standing up and stretching. Ariadne's eyes snapped open and she looked at them pleadingly.

"No! Stay! Please?" Ariadne asked.

"I'm not sure you want three men sleeping in your room." Cobb reasoned.

"Yeah. Eames snores like a drunken sailor." Arthur piped up.

"I resent that comment Arthur." Eames scowled at him. "Besides, don't you want alone time to cuddle with Artie?" Eames wiggled his eyebrows and Cobb hit him playfully.

"Ow! Hey! It's true!" Eames defended and looked at the blushing Architect and Point Man.

"Please, stay." Ariadne repeated.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to lug all of the blankets and pillows in here. Do you mind Arthur?" Cobb asked.

"No. Bring what you need." Arthur told them and they quickly left the room to gather their things.

Arthur began to move, but Ariadne gripped him. "It's alright. I'll be right back."

Ariadne nodded and let go of him. He carefully helped her lay down and left the room. Eames and Cobb walked by and noticed Arthur digging through one of the closets.

"What in God's name are you doing Arthur?" Eames asked, dropping his things and looking over Arthur's shoulder.

"I'm looking for my guitar." Arthur stated and Cobb and Eames shot each other surprised glances.

"You're going to play again? But it's been years." Cobb said.

"I'm sure I'll remember how to play." Arthur grunted and laughed as he pulled out his guitar case. He opened it up and lifted up the guitar, grinning. He started strumming it and grimaced at how out of tune it was.

"Go keep Ariadne company. I'll be right there." Arthur told Cobb and Eames. They nodded and gathered their things, bringing them into the room.

Arthur spent five minutes tuning his guitar. He then practiced a little bit before putting it back in the case and carrying it into the room, making sure Ariadne didn't see it.

Ariadne was talking quietly to Eames while Cobb was making beds for them on the floor. Eames spotted Arthur walk in and Ariadne followed his gaze.

"Hey. What took you so long?" Ariadne asked cheerfully.

"I wanted to bring you a surprise." Arthur replied and he pulled out the guitar and sat on the bed. Ariadne sat up quickly with Eames' help and Cobb sat on the cot, watching his friend expectantly.

"Arthur…" Ariadne watched him curiously.

He began playing and singing to her and she couldn't help but smile. Arthur didn't have the greatest voice, but she loved it anyway. He played guitar beautifully and tears started to form in her eyes. She never took her eyes off the man playing in front of her.

When Arthur finished Ariadne grinned. "That was beautiful Arthur. Did you write that?"

He nodded. "I wrote it a few years ago, before I quit playing. I wanted to play something special for you. I've never played that for anyone before." Arthur admitted and looked sheepishly at her and the two men in the room.

"Thank you Arthur." Ariadne yawned.

"You should go to sleep." Eames patted her on the back softly and helped her lay down. She nodded and yawned again.

Arthur put away his guitar and moved to lay down on his cot, but Ariadne pulled him to the bed. He looked at Eames and Cobb, embarrassed, but they simply nodded, not minding if he shared a bed with Ariadne. He crawled into bed and when everyone was settled, Eames turned off the lights.

"Goodnight Ariadne. We'll be right here if you need anything." Eames said in the dark.

"Goodnight everyone." Ariadne replied, not wanting to say individual goodnights.

Arthur kissed her softly and wrapped his arm around her, careful with her wounds. She nuzzled into his chest and fell asleep almost instantly.

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**Alright, there's still some fluff in there...I couldn't resist. I figured one more chapter with some fluff wouldn't hurt. I also really wanted Arthur to play guitar again...so I incorporated it into this chapter...the song that I had him sing and play is this one...**.com/479342 **I love it! And it is Joseph Gordon-Levitt singing it...so it makes it AWESOME! ;) Anyways...enough of my rambling. Let me know what you thought of the chapter...and the song. I honestly based this chapter off of the song when I was thinking of writing it...thanks for reading!**


	29. Mushaboom

**I'm so glad you guys have enjoyed the past few chapters. When I started writing this fic, I knew exactly how I wanted one particular section...and that was the capture and rescue of Ariadne. So now that we have passed that part, I'm trying to figure out where I want this to go. I'm also happy you all enjoyed my fluff...I feel like I get a bit mushy and too fluffy with it, but I think every story deserves fluff...no matter how much it is. So this chapter has a little more fluff...but it's more of a transition into the next part of the story...the second half. Which means this story will be ending pretty soon. At least that's the plan, but we'll see. Anyways...leave a review and let me know what you think!**

**I get tired of reminding myself and everyone that I don't own Inception...

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To Arthur's relief Ariadne slept through the whole night. He had always been a light sleeper, but especially now that Ariadne was in such a delicate condition he made it a point to sleep as light as possible in case she woke up needing something.

The sun was barely coming up when Arthur woke up. He looked around the still dark room and noticed that he was the only one awake, which wasn't abnormal. He shifted slightly, pulling away from Ariadne so he could get up and go start making some coffee and take a shower.

He managed to get Ariadne into a comfortable position without waking her and sneak out of the dark room. When he checked the time it was barely six o'clock. He debated whether or not to start the coffee now or take a shower first. Figuring that the others would sleep in at least until eight, he decided to take a jog and hop in the shower. He needed some fresh air and exercise anyways.

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Cobb's eyes fluttered open when he heard Arthur close the door. He stifled a groan and rolled over, bumping into Eames. Thankfully Eames was a heavy sleeper and didn't even grunt when Cobb bumped into him. Knowing he wouldn't get back to sleep he sat up and stretched, stealing a glance at Ariadne. Her breathing was slow and she was still fast asleep. It gave him a sense of relief to know that she was resting up.

Carefully maneuvering his way around Eames and all of the pillows and blankets on the floor he quietly exited the room and looked around for Arthur. He walked into the kitchen, expecting him to be making coffee, but to his surprise Arthur wasn't there.

He heard the front door shut and knew that Arthur must be going for a run. Sighing, he started brewing the coffee, figuring if he was going to be up this early he should get some caffeine into his system.

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Eames was annoyed when he felt Cobb bump into him, but he chose to ignore it and rolled over, wanting to get more sleep. He pulled the blankets over his head and fell back asleep.

Thirty minutes later he smelled coffee and wrinkled his nose. Everyone knew how much he hated coffee and would prefer tea, but they still made it anyway. He sat up hastily and looked around the room to see if anyone else was still asleep. Ariadne's small form was still in bed, her breathing steady. Everyone else was gone so Eames stood up and quietly walked out of the room, not wanting to wake the injured Architect.

When he walked into the kitchen Arthur and Cobb were talking. They stopped and took in Eames' appearance.

"You aren't a morning person are you?" Arthur asked, hiding his grin.

"Shut up. If you wouldn't make that bloody coffee it would be a good morning." Eames snapped and plopped onto the nearest chair.

"What the hell is that smell?" Colin practically shouted as he walked into the kitchen, a grumpy look similar to Eames' on his face.

"Coffee. Want some." Arthur offered playfully.

"Are you trying to poison us?" Eames asked, offended.

Arthur and Cobb chuckled and shook their heads. Chloe walked in and the room fell silent. She looked down and avoided everyone's eyes. And Yusuf waddled into the room, ignoring the tension in the room.

"Mr. Cobb sir?" Little Cameron tugged on Cobb's pants, breaking everyone out of their thoughts. Cobb smiled and knelt down so he was eye level with Cameron.

"Yes Cameron?" He asked.

"Thank you for saving me and the nice lady. Is she going to be ok?" He asked innocently.

Arthur's gaze hardened and he looked at Chloe briefly. He moved to stand next to Cobb and looked down at the little boy.

"She'll be fine." Arthur replied softly before leaving the room.

Cameron looked up at his mother puzzled, but she smiled at him and ruffled his hair. Cobb cleared his throat and stood up.

"We need to start packing up, unless you want to stay here, but we need to get Ariadne medical attention. It might be better to stay together in case something happens, but I want to leave that up to you." Cobb said and the others remained silent, thinking things over.

"Whatever you choose is fine Colin." Eames spoke up, knowing that his brother would want to split up and fall off the grid for a while.

"I can't leave Chloe and Cameron." Colin replied and looked at Chloe lovingly.

"Then we'll go with you." Chloe blurted out, catching everyone off guard. Cobb and Eames had never seen Chloe so willing to give up everything for someone.

"Wow." Eames whispered, looking at Cobb.

"It's the best. Arthur hates me right now and I don't want to cause any more trouble. Plus I know Colin can keep us safe." Chloe said.

"Alright, if that's really what you want to do." Colin looked her in the eye and she nodded.

"You should talk to Arthur. He may be upset with you, but you should talk things over." Cobb insisted and she hesitated before nodding in agreement.

"Alright. Cameron, stay with Colin ok?"

Cameron nodded at his mother and grabbed onto Colin's leg, squeezing it tight and not letting it go.

Arthur had left the room to check up on Ariadne and get away from Chloe for a little bit. He still had to sort out his feelings and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to forgive her for the betrayal she had committed towards him. Sure Ariadne was back safe, but just knowing that Chloe helped cause the injuries she had received made him angry.

He sighed and opened the door quietly. Ariadne was trying to sit up and as she moved she let out small whimpers. Arthur rushed in and helped her and she grunted.

"I don't need help." Ariadne protested, hating being so weak and useless.

"Yes you do Ari. You have extensive injuries. It's ok to need help and ask for it." Arthur replied, holding her up.

"I can handle myself." Ariadne defiantly replied and stood up, gasping she stumbled and nearly fell. Arthur moved and caught her, careful with her ribs. Ariadne sighed and frowned.

"This is stupid." She said as she allowed Arthur to help her sit down on the bed.

"I know. I'm sorry. I wish I could do something to make you better." Arthur brushed her hair out of her face and tucked a few pieces behind her ear, leaving his hand to rest on her cheek.

Ariadne leaned into his touch and closed her eyes, thankful for the one touch that didn't bring her pain.

There was a soft knock on the door and Arthur groaned as Ariadne pulled away and waited for Arthur to see who was there.

He opened the door, frustrated and annoyed. When he saw Chloe standing there looking uncertain and nervous he had to keep himself from shutting the door in her face. Instead he stepped aside and allowed her to walk in.

Ariadne eyed her angrily but softened as soon as she thought of Cameron. She still felt uncomfortable around Chloe, especially now.

"I came to talk to you. Both of you." Chloe said, turning to Arthur and Ariadne. When she didn't receive a reply from either she continued.

"Ariadne, I am so sorry. I had no right lying to you, selling you out, and being so cruel to you. I was jealous of you at first. Obviously Arthur cares a lot about you and when I saw that I became jealous because he used to look at me like that, only there was something different in the way he looked at you. That only made it easier for me to sell you out. They had wanted you because they believed that since you were young and inexperienced they would be able to break you and get the information they wanted. I am truly sorry. I just wanted to get Cameron back safe, and as Arthur told me earlier, I should have come to you guys for help instead of causing you pain. Both of you pain." She quickly added and looked Ariadne straight in the eye.

Ariadne watched her carefully and after a few moments of digesting what she said she nodded. She moved to stand up, but knowing that it would be difficult she stayed.

"I forgive you Chloe. If I were in your position I probably would have done the same." Ariadne replied.

"No you wouldn't have. You're much more rational than I am." Chloe shook her head, knowing Ariadne was much wiser than her.

"Maybe. But I couldn't say because I don't have kids. I hear it's different when you're a parent." Ariadne said.

Chloe smiled at her. "Maybe someday you will know what it's like and be able to understand." Chloe shot Arthur a knowing look and smiled at him, receiving a blush from the usually put together Point Man.

"Arthur, after all we've been through I should have known I could trust you and go to you. But after everything that happened between us I wasn't sure if you'd want to help. So I went along with their plan. If I would have known how much you loved this woman." Arthur opened his mouth to protest but Chloe cut him off. "I know you love her and she loves you. I can see it. So don't try to deny it. Either of you."

Ariadne blushed and looked at Arthur, a grin on his face as he stared at her. Despite being beaten to the point that her face was swollen and she had bruises, this woman was beautiful to him.

"I wouldn't have turned her in Arthur. As I told Ariadne, at first I was jealous, but then I started to feel sorry for myself and wanted to try to handle this on my own. Which was incredibly stupid of me. I just want to know that you forgive me. We don't have to be friends like we used to, but I'd like to try if you'd let me." Chloe shut her eyes tightly, trying to hold back the oncoming tears.

Arthur moved and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I forgive you Chloe. But our friendship won't ever be the same and I'm sure you know that. I'm not even sure we can really be friends again." Arthur walked back to Ariadne and wrapped his arm around her gently.

Chloe nodded and frowned. "We're leaving with Colin. We're going to lay low for a while. Wait for this whole thing to burn over. But when it's safe again I would like to spend time with you and Cameron would love it too. It seems he has grown quite fond of Ariadne." Chloe thoughtfully said.

Ariadne bit her lip. "I talked to him until he fell asleep when I was knocked unconscious. I didn't want him to feel like he was alone. I just didn't want him to see what they did to me." Ariadne whispered and closed the eye that wasn't swollen shut.

"Thank you for keeping an eye on him." Chloe quietly replied and turned around. "We're leaving soon. I'll leave you two alone and I'll let you know when we're ready to leave." Chloe shut the door behind her and left the two to their thoughts.

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**Yeah...so there you have it! What did you think? REview! :D**


	30. We Owe This To Ourselves

**Thank you for the wonderful reviews! They truly make my day and make me excited to update for you guys. So here is the next chapter for you. Sorry I didn't update yesterday, Wednesday's are super busy for me and I don't get home til midnight and by then I'm exhausted...same with Friday's, so I won't be updating tomorrow, unless I find time, but tomorrow is going to be way busier than any other Friday, we're having our first real concert at my church so we have to set up and tear down after it...so I might not be able to update...anyways...enjoy! Thanks again for reading!**

**I wish Inception were mine...maybe if I wish hard enough I'll get it...

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Arthur and Ariadne sat in silence, pondering the words Chloe had said. _You love her. She loves you._ Those words kept ringing in their ears. They knew it was true to an extent. While Ariadne was more willing to believe you could fall in love so fast, Arthur was more skeptical. He always thought it was something that gradually happened, and if it came at you fast, it wasn't love, it was lust.

He sighed and looked at Ariadne, who was deep in thought. Her cheeks, though bruised and swollen, had a hint of pink in them. Snapping out of her thoughts, she turned her head to look at Arthur and blushed when she saw that he was staring at her.

"Arthur…" Ariadne paused, not sure what she was going to say. Arthur just stared at her curiously, waiting for her to continue.

She hesitated, wondering if now was the time to talk about what Chloe had said to them. Instead of pushing her to speak, Arthur just waited patiently, stroking her hair.

"What's going to happen with us?" Ariadne finally asked, not breaking eye contact with Arthur.

He furrowed his brows thoughtfully. "What do you want to happen?"

"Why do you always do that?"

"Do what?" Arthur asked.

"Answer a question with a question." Ariadne chuckled softly, shaking her head. "I want to know what you want too Arthur. It's not just what I want. What I want won't matter if it isn't something you'd want."

Arthur smiled at her. "I only asked you that because I want to give you a choice. If it were my choice we'd be together."

"Well it is your choice too." Ariadne whispered, suddenly shy.

Arthur pulled her closer and smiled. "I want there to be an us." He whispered into her hair and she shivered with excitement. She turned her head and kissed him carefully, finding that breathing was becoming harder, not just because of the way her body reacted to the close proximity to Arthur, but also because of her injuries.

He pulled away and looked at her concerned. "We should get you to a doctor. Your injuries have gone without treatment for too long. I'll pack up and get everyone ready." Arthur stood up. He paused and leaned down, kissing her softly on the lips before pulling away.

"Arthur." Ariadne quickly called out. He stopped at watched her. "As long as you'll want there to be an us and as long as you'll have me, I want to be with you. I want this to last. I know we discussed this a little earlier, but I want to confirm it." She smiled at him and he grinned and nodded.

"That shouldn't be a problem then." He replied gleefully and started gathering things up. Ariadne stood up slowly and painfully and waddled gradually to the other room, letting Arthur get ready to leave.

"Well, look who decided to join us!" Eames exclaimed, smiling. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright considering…" Ariadne motioned to herself and Cobb and Eames took in her appearance.

"We'll get you to a doctor soon. Miles just called, said his plane landed a few minutes ago. I'm going to pick him up and Saito said that his jet should be here soon with the doctors. We'll get on the plane as soon as Miles and everyone else is ready." Cobb said.

Ariadne bit her lip and gasped, forgetting about her split lip. She didn't want Miles to see her like this. She was sure he would make her stop working in Extraction.

"I don't want Miles to see me like this." Ariadne blurted out and Cobb stared at her intensely.

"I'm sorry Ariadne. He insisted. Once he's set his mind to something there's no stopping him." Cobb replied. She sighed and looked down, inspecting her injuries. She looked up and turned to leave when Eames placed a hand on her shoulder carefully.

"It'll be alright. I still want my best Architect around to work for me." He winked at her and she smiled.

"I'm not YOUR Architect." Ariadne pointed out.

"You know what I mean." Eames replied, grinning.

"Yes I do." She smiled sheepishly and he dropped his hand.

"I'm just going to go change and…uh…check my injuries. I didn't get a chance to examine them myself." She quietly said.

Cobb and Eames nodded and just as she left the room Yusuf walked in. He looked at the two men curiously and cleared his throat.

"Saito's jet just landed. Are we heading out yet?" He asked.

Cobb shook his head. "I have to go pick up Miles and then when we're all packed up and ready to go we can leave. Ariadne needs medical attention. She seems fine, but if her wrist doesn't get set right, she may never be able to draw or write again. There's not too much they can do with her ribs, but they need to make sure they will be able to heal on their own. If not she will need surgery to repair that." Cobb pinched his nose and the room became silent.

"She'll be alright." Eames assured everyone. He wanted to stay positive.

"Yes. She will." Yusuf agreed.

"I should go pick up Miles. Be prepared to leave ok? We have no time to waste." Cobb grabbed his jacket and keys and left in a hurry.

Ariadne walked into the room and found Arthur changing. She shrieked and closed her eyes.

"I'm so sorry Arthur! I didn't know you were changing!" She exclaimed. She heard Arthur chuckle and could hear his soft steps coming closer to her.

"Don't worry about it." He whispered into her ear. Her hand slapped his chest, a reaction to the sudden movement he made. She gasped and covered her mouth, opening her eyes to see an amused Arthur staring at her.

"Oh my gosh! Arthur! I can't believe…I…I'm so sorry!" She replied and placed her hand on his bare chest. He shook his head, amused.

"Again, don't worry about it." Arthur absentmindedly replied, staring down at her hand still on his chest. She followed his gaze and pulled her hand away, blushing.

"Did you want something?" Arthur recovered and eyed her. She looked slightly pale and he frowned.

"I just came in her to examine my injuries." Ariadne replied. "I may need your help."

"Alright, just let me know. I'll finish…" He motioned to the shirt in his hand and she nodded vigorously.

"Oh right! Yes, go get dressed!" Ariadne rambled.

"I'll just be over here." He said, walking to the small closet in the room.

Ariadne watched him and sighed, pulling up her shirt. She remembered how they had cut her, but she wanted to see the wounds for herself. Her movements were limited because of her wrist and ribs, but she managed to lift up her shirt a little bit. She grunted and called for Arthur.

He quickly made his way to her and stood in front of her, waiting for her to tell him to do something.

"I need your help taking off my shirt. I can't really do it on my own." She turned bright red and Arthur gulped. He nodded and carefully peeled the shirt off of her, setting it down on the bed. He quickly turned around as she examined herself.

Ariadne looked down and winced. Her cuts were stitched up and covered, so she couldn't really see them, and she wasn't sure whether it would be a good idea to take the gauze off, but she was curious. She slowly pulled at the gauze and took it off, observing the wound. She gasped and trembled.

"Are you alright?" Arthur gently asked and she nodded.

"Just remembering how I got them." Ariadne mumbled and Arthur frowned.

"Hey. It's ok now. You're safe here." He turned around and bent down a little, looking her in the eyes.

"I know. The memories are still there though." She replied, ashamed.

Arthur nodded and watched as she put the gauze back and continued to look at her injuries.

Her eyes scanned down her stomach and she noticed each bruise and small cut that was on her skin. She trembled again and gently slid her hand up her ribs, carefully pressing down on the side that had broken ribs, opposite the side with the cut. She winced and Arthur pulled her hand away.

"You shouldn't do that." Arthur warned.

"I'm just trying to find where it hurts." Ariadne glared at him, knowing he was right.

"You could make it worse. Be careful."

She nodded and turned her left arm over, taking in every little bruise to the largest purple ones on it. She tried to do the same with her right arm, but her wrist hurt too much for her to turn it.

"Arthur, can you check my back?" She asked.

Arthur gently ran his fingers down her back and paused at each bruise. He frowned and grew angry with Chloe again, despite her apology earlier. He really began to doubt if he'd be able to repair any kind of friendship with her.

"Hey guys." Eames walked into the room and paused, shock taking over his features as he took in the scene in front of him.

"Eames!" Arthur exclaimed and quickly handed Ariadne her shirt and she covered herself.

"Whoa, looks like I interrupted something steamy." Eames smirked.

"No! It's not like that. He was just checking my injuries." Ariadne protested, feeling lightheaded and Eames chuckled.

"So that's what you're going to call it. Ok." Eames teased and nodded suggestively.

"What do you want?" Arthur snapped.

"Cobb's ready to go. Miles is here." Eames informed them and Ariadne paled.

"Arthur! Help me put on my shirt!"

"Yes Arthur. You wouldn't want her professor to catch the two of you in the act, would you?"

"Shut up Eames! We weren't doing anything." Arthur growled and helped Ariadne put on her shirt.

"We'll be right out." Ariadne said, her face red.

"Alright love birds." Eames waved them off and shut the door.

"Let's go." Ariadne muttered, her face flushed and Arthur picked up the bags and turned off the lights before shutting the door behind them.

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**Haha...Eames...always has to make an awkward situation more awkward ;) Let me know what you think! I did some major writing today so I could get farther ahead and update earlier when I get a chance...so hopefully I will be able to tomorrow night, if not be on the lookout on Saturday. Thanks!**


	31. Problematic

**Sorry about the delay. I was out late cleaning up after the concert last night so I was exhausted. And all day today I've been busy, but I wanted to upload another chapter for you guys, so here it is. Tomorrow I may not be able to update, I have homework to get done and since my flashdrive was stolen at the community college, I have to start my projects over. So I'll try to update tomorrow if I get time. Enjoy this chapter and thanks for all of your lovely reviews! **

**I should just say that Inception isn't mine 32 times before a chapter that way I don't have to do it for the rest...it's NOT mine :(

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Ariadne heard Miles' voice in the living room and she slowed her pace, afraid of what her professor, mentor, and friend would say. Arthur placed his hand assuredly on her shoulder.

"It's ok." He whispered and she shook her head slowly.

"He's going to be mad." Ariadne replied.

"Maybe, but I'll take full responsibility for it." Arthur smiled sadly.

"You can't! It wasn't your fault Arthur. Besides, I don't want Miles to think my boyfriend can't take care of me." She let out a lopsided smile and Arthur smirked.

"Your boyfriend huh?" Arthur grinned and Ariadne nodded, her face turning red.

"We should get out there. They'll be getting anxious, and you really need to see a doctor. I can already see your posture changing. It's not healthy to leave broken bones untreated." Arthur guided her into the living room. He paused when she stopped. He waited until she nodded and grabbed her hand, linking their fingers. They walked in quietly and slowly and the room fell silent.

"Dear God. Ariadne, what happened to you?" Miles asked in disbelief, as he looked her over. He walked cautiously to her, feeling as if she would break if he were to make any sudden movements.

Ariadne looked down, avoiding his gaze as he approached her. He gently lifter her chin and looked her in the eyes. She could see the sadness, pain, fear, and anger in them and she felt her eyes well up with tears.

"Oh Ariadne. What have you gotten yourself into?" Miles asked her.

"It wasn't her fault." Arthur spoke up and stepped forward, standing in front of Miles. Miles frowned at him and shot a look to Dom.

"I know it's not her fault. I knew all too well what she was getting herself into and I let her." Miles replied coldly. "But isn't it your job as Point Man to keep your teammates safe?"

Arthur looked down and frowned. Ariadne took his hand in hers and squeezed it in assurance. Arthur looked up at her and smiled.

"We were all deceived, led into a trap. It's all our faults." Eames moved to stand next to Arthur and Ariadne.

Miles observed the three people in front of him and Ariadne could have sworn she saw a twinkle in his eye.

"You are in good hands my dear. I can see they care about you a lot." Miles smiled at her. "We should get those wounds treated though." He motioned to her wrist that she was holding close to her body and Ariadne grabbed her side carefully. She nodded and looked at Eames and Arthur, who were staring down at her, smiling.

"Let's get a move on." Cobb cleared his throat and the team scrambled to get their things.

"What happened to Chloe, Cameron, and Colin?" Ariadne asked, curious.

"They left." Yusuf replied.

"What? When?" Arthur was shocked. As much as he didn't like her right now, he just couldn't believe they would just sneak off like that, especially after all they put Ariadne through.

"They were gone when Cobb was leaving to pick Miles up. They must have snuck out." Yusuf sighed.

"Well let's hope they can take care of themselves." Eames mumbled and opened the front door, looking around to make sure it was safe.

"What they do is their business." Arthur coldly said as he juggled three bags. Cobb moved to help, but instead helped guide Ariadne to the car, Miles following close behind.

"Alright, so Saito said that his doctors are already on the jet. They'll treat Ariadne to the best of their abilities and when we land in Tokyo we'll get Ariadne to the hospital and see if she has any internal injuries." Cobb informed the group and Ariadne grunted, hating being talked about as if she weren't there.

"I'm right here you know." Ariadne grumbled and Cobb looked at her apologetically.

"I know. I'm sorry, I keep thinking out loud. I don't mean to make it sound like you're not here."

"Well you could just inform me of what we're doing." Ariadne said.

"I'm informing all of us." Cobb replied, furrowing his brows. "Are you alright? You don't look to good."

Arthur stopped and turned to Eames, handing him all the bags he was carrying. Eames grunted and protested, but Arthur ignored him and rushed to look at Ariadne.

"He's right Ari. You look pale." Arthur said worriedly and placed his hand on her forehead. "Jeez! You're burning up too! We need to leave now! Does anyone have Advil or aspirin? Something to bring her fever down." Arthur asked frantically and everyone tapped their pockets and Yusuf let out a triumphant cry as he pulled out a bottle of aspirin.

"Here. Ariadne, take three." Yusuf handed her some pills and Arthur ran back inside and got a bottle of water for her. She took the bottle and pills weakly and popped them into her mouth. She gulped down the water and gasped, clutching her side.

"This isn't good. We need to get to the airport. She has to be treated." Arthur was starting to panic. Miles placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to get him to calm down. Arthur looked at the older man and inhaled deeply, willing himself to relax.

"Arthur, I'm fine." Ariadne said unconvincingly.

"No you're not. Here, wrap your arms around my neck." Arthur bent down and carefully lifted her and shifted her weight so he wouldn't drop her or hurt her.

"You don't have to do this Arthur. I can walk." Ariadne said as she closed her eyes.

"Whoa, hey, hey! Open your eyes Ari. Don't fall asleep. Stay with me." Arthur said, alarmed and everyone else started running to put things in the car.

"Arthur! Let's go! Get in the car." Eames shouted and Arthur rushed to the car, Ariadne becoming limp in his arms.

"No! Ari…Ari, open your eyes." Arthur firmly said as he climbed into the back seat with her. He cradled her and she blinked slowly, her eyelids becoming heavier.

"I need you to look at me and stay awake ok?" Arthur placed his hand on her cheek and she nodded weakly. "Talk to me."

"I'm fine." Ariadne lied.

"No you're not." Arthur shook his head and chuckled humorlessly.

"Alright I'm not."

"Tell me what hurts. What's bothering you?" Arthur asked, his eyes roaming her body.

"My side." Ariadne coughed and winced.

"It's your ribs. You must have internal injuries." Arthur closed his eyes and frowned.

"Hey. I'll be fine." Ariadne gently said, her voice hoarse. She brought her hand up to his cheek and he opened his eyes and leaned into her touch.

"How are you two back there?" Eames asked from the front.

"Not well. Can you step on it?" Arthur barked.

"Not with this traffic!" Eames shouted back.

"Calm down. Raising your voices isn't going to help her or speed up traffic." Yusuf turned around and glared.

"Where are Miles and Cobb?" Ariadne asked quietly, her breathing becoming shallower.

"They're in the car behind us. Don't worry about them. Take deep slow breaths, Ari. Come on, follow my breathing." Arthur said, taking her hand and placing it on his chest. He inhaled slowly and exhaled. Ariadne struggled to follow his breathing at first, but she started to relax and breathing became easier for her.

"Good. Keep breathing like that and stay awake." Arthur told her and Eames looked straight ahead, worried.

The rest of the ride to the airport was made in silence. No one dared to talk, afraid that once they did they wouldn't be able to hear Ariadne's now steady breathing.

Eames pulled into the parking lot and turned off the engine as he jumped out of the car. Yusuf was following close behind and they opened the door for Arthur and Ariadne. He carefully slid out of the car, holding her body close to his and they ran to the private jet waiting for them.

Eames looked behind him and saw Cobb and Miles rushing towards them, all the bags in their hands. He stopped and moved to help them.

"Here, I'll take a few of these." Eames offered and took a few bags from Miles.

"How is she?" Cobb asked.

"Not well. She's trying to stay conscious and her breathing was becoming shallow. Arthur has been keeping her awake and helping her with her breathing. I'm pretty sure she's barely hanging in there." Eames replied, out of breath. They hurried their pace and caught up to Arthur and Yusuf, who were already boarding the plane with the young Architect.

Once on the plane, Arthur began to bark orders to everyone around him, his Point Man side coming out. The doctors on the plane scrambled around to work on Ariadne.

"What's going on?" They heard a voice from behind them and they all turned around.

"Saito? What are you doing here?" Cobb asked.

"You didn't think I'd just leave you alone did you?" Saito raised his eyebrow at him and Cobb shook his head, trying to comprehend the situation.

"I guess not."

"What's going on?" He repeated.

"It's Ariadne, she's not in good shape at all. She needs immediate attention, and Arthur is taking control of the situation. They took her into the next room. We need to leave now. She needs a hospital as soon as possible." Cobb replied, rubbing his face.

"I'll let them know we're ready for take off." Saito left and five minutes later they could feel the plane getting ready to start moving.

"Will she be alright?" Saito asked as he walked out.

"I hope so." Cobb sighed and sat down. Eames and Miles were sitting not too far away, lost in thought and Yusuf came out of the small room that Ariadne, Arthur, and the doctors were in.

"How is she?" Cobb stood up immediately and watched the Chemist carefully.

"She has a fever, her ribs are worse than we thought, they're going to have to set her wrist in place and put it in a cast, and they think she has some internal bleeding. If she does things may not turn out too well for her. She's extremely fatigued, which is causing her to feel lightheaded and tired. So they're going to put her on an IV to give her nutrients and keep liquids in her body. They think rest is the best for her right now." Yusuf informed them and everyone grew silent.

"How's Arthur?" Eames asked.

"He's holding out…for now." Yusuf sighed.

Arthur was sitting on the bed next to Ariadne as the doctors cleaned her up and hooked her up to an IV. Arthur watched helplessly as worry took over and he gently stroked her hair.

"You'll be fine." He whispered to her as the plane took off.

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**So what did you think? Any suggestions for the next chapters...I do have them written already, but if you have any ideas, I'm sure I can twist them into what I already have. Let me know! Thanks!**


	32. Quickly I Take My Time

**Hey all! Sorry I didn't update yesterday. I've felt awful these past two days and today my cold decided to kick in and take over :( But here is the next chapter for you all, hope you enjoy it! Leave a review and let me know what you think! And thanks for all the reviews so far! :D You all are awesome! **

**Inception isn't mine. True story.

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"We'll be landing in Osaka." Saito informed the quiet group. They were all anxious and worried about Ariadne, causing them to remain silent.

"How soon?" Cobb asked tiredly.

"Five more hours."

"Will she have that much time?" Eames asked, glancing at the closed door.

One of the doctors came out and everyone stood up, wanting to hear the news of the Architect.

"She should be fine. We have her asleep right now. She needs the rest. If she does have internal injuries, her risks are much higher. She hasn't shown any signs of internal bleeding or injuries, but we can't be too sure. Just try not to stress her out if you go talk to her." The doctor said.

Miles stood up, wanting to go see his student. "I'll go first. We'll rotate visits with her."

He walked into the room quietly to find Arthur laying down, facing Ariadne on the bed and she had his hand in hers.

"Ariadne." Miles quietly said and she weakly turned her head to him.

"Miles." She smiled softly and he moved to the edge of the bed.

"How are you feeling my dear?" He asked.

"Awful." She admitted and felt Arthur tense next to her.

"Well, we'll be landing in a few hours. We'll get you to the hospital and fix you up. I can't have my brightest student injured and weak now, can I?"

"No." Ariadne blinked slowly and smiled.

"Now. You rest up and take it easy until we land. Arthur seems to be taking good care of you. The others want to come say hi too. So they'll be coming in individually." Miles gently said and kissed her on the forehead.

Yusuf walked in next. He shuffled in awkwardly and looked at Ariadne shyly. Ariadne had to hide a giggle at Yusuf's awkwardness.

"Hi Ariadne." Yusuf cleared his throat and moved closer to the bed. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Not really." She winced as she shifted.

"We're going to take good care of you. I promise." Yusuf patted her gently and turned to leave.

Ariadne looked at Arthur briefly. "I think he's uncomfortable with the situation." She whispered.

Arthur laughed softly. "He is a bit eccentric."

Ariadne lightly laughed, careful not to breathe too hard. "But that's why we love him."

Eames strolled into the room and pulled up a chair. He turned it around and plopped down onto it, staring at the young woman in front of him.

"Take a picture. It lasts longer." Ariadne joked and Eames chuckled, shaking his head.

"Are you teaching her these cheesy jokes Artie?"

"Don't call me that." Arthur glared and ignored Eames' question.

"Well she has to get these jokes from someone." Eames replied.

"My dad used to tell me it all the time when he caught me staring at…" Ariadne paused and blushed when Eames raised his eyebrow at her. "I was a teenager ok!"

Eames smirked and stood up. "It's good to see that you're doing ok. Let's keep it that way. Cobb is pacing out there, so I'll let him come in so you can get some rest." He moved the chair back and gently squeezed her hand.

"Eames is an idiot." Arthur shook his head.

Cobb rushed in, not waiting for Eames to exit the room first. He took in Ariadne's form and frowned. She wasn't supposed to get into this kind of trouble. Arthur, who moved from lying down, was now sitting up, still holding Ariadne's hand.

"I know everyone has asked this already, but how are you feeling?" Cobb pulled the chair next to the bed and sat down, watching Ariadne intently.

She avoided both Arthur and Cobb's gazes and sighed. "I feel awful." She quietly said.

Cobb nodded and shot a look to Arthur, who was frowning. "We'll get you help soon. Just hang in there."

Ariadne nodded. "I'm well enough to talk. That has to mean something right?"

Cobb smiled. "Yes. Just don't push yourself to do anything you don't need to do. We'll be landing in a few hours and you'll get fixed up so you'll be back to your usual self in no time."

"Cobb, it's not your fault either." Ariadne whispered, her eyes becoming droopy as she tried to stay awake.

"I know." He sighed and brushed some hair out of her eyes. "Get some sleep." He said leaning down and kissing her forehead. He looked at Arthur and nodded. Arthur stood up and carefully covered Ariadne with a blanket, trying not to disturb her as they left the room.

"I think I know who kidnapped her. We were ambushed when we were trying to head out of the building and I got a good look at their faces. I'm sure with some digging I can find out their names." Arthur said as soon as the door was shut.

"What did they look like?"

"One was tall with dark hair and blue eyes the other was shorter with blonde hair. I couldn't see him as well."

"They have to be working for someone else. Obviously they were hired to kidnap her and bring her in for interrogation, but by who?" Cobb asked quietly, ignoring the curious glances from the other members.

"You don't think that Gregburn hired them do you? As payback for not getting the job done. Just because Saito cleared things with them for us doesn't mean that they won't retaliate. You know how Cobol is." Arthur said pointedly.

"I'm almost positive it was Gregburn. He has friends in high places and if he wanted to he could have found out about the Inception. Has Ariadne said anything about what they asked her?"

"She's mentioned a little, but we haven't talked about it in detail." Arthur replied.

"When she wakes up you should ask her. See what kind of information we can gather on these two guys and if I'm correct, we have to settle some scores with Gregburn. If not, they'll be after us for life, and I don't want to have to be looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life. Especially when I have my children with me now." Cobb sighed and frowned.

"I'll start researching now and as soon as Ari wakes up, I'll see what I can get out of her." Arthur walked to the small table where his bag was at and pulled out his laptop. He debated whether or not he should stay out here and do some research or keep and eye on Ariadne in her room. He decided on the latter, feeling more comfortable if he was in the room with her.

Arthur easily found the database for Cobol Engineering and he searched through the employees, hoping he'd be able to find who those two men were. After searching for fifteen minutes he found the two men he was looking for.

Rex Sherwood and Darryl Errman. They were newer employees of Cobol, but they had high credentials when it came to private investigating and computer hacking. This alarmed Arthur. If either of them were masters at computer hacking, they could have gotten the information about Inception from his computer. Arthur was an excellent hacker himself. He was considered one of the best. He wasn't the best Point Man for nothing. To break through his firewall, it would take years.

If they did get information about the Inception from him, they obviously didn't figure out who was on the team, why they did it, who hired them, or where it took place. If they did, they could have easily gotten what they wanted. He sighed and shut his laptop, rubbing his face and looked at Ariadne, who began to stir.

She blinked and opened her eyes. She didn't look as pale, but he could see that she wasn't feeling too well.

"Hey." He whispered.

"Hi." Ariadne replied, her eyes still adjusting to being awake.

"How long was I out?" She asked.

"About twenty minutes." Arthur replied. "We have to talk."

Ariadne's face dropped. "About what?"

"About what happened back there when you were captured." Arthur frowned.

"Oh." Ariadne looked down.

"Ari. It's important to talk about it, and we need to know why they took you. It could help us figure out who did this and why they did it."

"Ok." Ariadne replied and Arthur moved to sit next to her on the bed, ready to hear the story.

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**A shorter chapter, I know, but I hope it's satisfying. If I feel alright tomorrow I'll update again. Tata for now! :D**


	33. Feel Fine

**Hey everyone, sorry I haven't updated in a few days. I've been sick and have had to manage to go to school at the same time, which is hard. So I have been at home sleeping when I'm not forced to be at school. And on top of that, everytime I want to sit down to write, I get writer's block...I blame this sickness. Ugh! Anyways, here's another chapter for you. I hope it holds you off for a little while. In the meantime, I'm going to try to recover from this cold. Leave a review and let me know what you think! **

**I don't own Inception...

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Ariadne closed her eyes and shifted, wanting to get comfortable and gather her thoughts before she started talking. Arthur waited patiently, not wanting to rush her. Her eyes met his and she started.

"I already told you that when I woke up they took me. They had said they wanted me for a job, but when they brought me to their headquarters they just wanted information from me. They knew about the Inception, they just didn't know why we were hired, who hired us, or who was on the team. They managed to find out a few people who worked with us. He mentioned you and Cobb, but they didn't know who else went with us." Ariadne began.

"Really, they just asked me over and over why we performed it, who hired us, and who was on the team. I don't know why it was so important to them. When I wouldn't answer, they'd beat me. There was one time when I made the boss really angry and he grabbed my wrist and twisted it until it snapped and then he kicked me in the ribs and I heard those crack too."

Arthur frowned and rubbed his face, trying to put pieces together. He still wasn't absolutely sure how they found out about Ariadne. Obviously they knew about her before Chloe did. There was no way Chloe could have found out that information on her own. She was hired to find out if Ariadne really was the amazing Architect.

"I don't understand how they found you so fast. That was your first job. You shouldn't have even been on the grid." Arthur was getting frustrated. He was almost certain they broke through his firewall.

He pulled out his laptop and began typing furiously. Ariadne just observed as he became immersed in his work. He made a face as he realized that his firewall hadn't been penetrated at all. Immediately all of the worse scenarios went through his head. He thought about Saito selling her out, but that wouldn't make sense. They wanted to know who hired them, and Saito wouldn't hire someone to find out who hired them to perform Inception. Cobb and Eames wouldn't sell her out, neither would Yusuf.

Cobb walked in and looked at Arthur, worried. Ariadne watched the two men carefully, suspicious, but she began to feel tired and nauseous, so she closed her eyes and listened.

"What?" Arthur asked, noticing Cobb's alarmed look.

"Browning found out about the Inception. Fischer doesn't believe him though, but Browning hired someone to extract from Fischer. They know some of our identities, but you managed to hide all information so well that Browning can't get any hard evidence that we were anywhere near Fischer. He must have hired Cobol." Cobb numbly replied.

"But Fischer doesn't believe him?" Arthur asked. "That doesn't make sense. How could Browning have found out?"

"I don't know. He must have been suspicious with Fischer's sudden change in plans and gone into his head to see what happened after Fischer explained that this idea came to him in a dream."

The room grew silent as they thought over what had just been said. As long as Browning was suspicious, they were all in danger. They had to do something about that.

"We knew there was a risk." Ariadne's quiet voice broke through the silence. Cobb and Arthur both looked at her sadly and nodded.

"But this shouldn't have been included in the risk. You were supposed to make it back home safely. Finish school. Live a normal life." Cobb replied.

"You expected me to go back to normal life after experiencing Inception and the dream world? You're crazy. I'd have to have more reason than 'it's not safe' to keep me from going back." Ariadne protested quietly, her voice hoarse and soft.

"Even if you wanted to come back into Extraction, you shouldn't have been put in this danger so soon. In fact, you shouldn't have had any kind of information on you saying you helped with it. It's my fault. I let you go with us in the dream. He remembered your face, Browning hired someone to do research on you, and they found you. I knew I shouldn't have let you come. When Miles finds out, he's going to kill me." Cobb sighed and looked at Arthur who was rigid.

"Kill you, no. I wouldn't do that to James and Philippa." Miles smirked.

"Miles. It's really not anyone's fault. You can't blame anyone but me. I chose to go with them." Ariadne quickly defended.

"Hey, relax. I know your stubborn personality. I'm surprised it didn't clash with Cobb's." He smiled at her. "What's going on?" He turned to Arthur and Cobb.

"We should just tell everyone. I don't want to have to repeat the story over and over again." Arthur said and Miles nodded.

"Should I bring everyone in here or do you want to meet out there?" Miles asked.

Arthur studied Ariadne for a moment before turning back to Miles. "We'll meet out there."

"I want to come." Ariadne whined.

"You need rest. Go back to sleep. I'm not going to say anything we haven't told you." Arthur replied, ignoring her glare.

She sighed and visibly relaxed. "Fine."

Arthur chuckled. "You need rest. You're not well and I don't want you to overdo anything."

"I won't be." Ariadne protested but Arthur just shook his head.

"Arthur's right, dear. Rest up. Once the doctors fix you up, you'll be able to come along. Well, after you're all healed up." Miles said and Ariadne nodded, defeated.

"Let's go." Arthur motioned for them to leave the room. "If you need anything, just holler, and I'll be right here." Arthur told Ariadne and softly kissed her lips.

Ariadne smiled at him and nodded. She waited for Arthur to close the door before closing her eyes and falling asleep, her body giving in to what she had been holding back from.

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"Arthur! What's going on?" Eames asked as he stopped pacing. Saito was watching Eames, annoyed, and Yusuf was sitting down, reading a small book. The latter two turned when Arthur, Cobb, and Miles walked out of Ariadne's room.

"We think we figured out what happened." Cobb replied.

"Well don't hold out on me. I want to find the guy that did this to Ariadne." Eames said, huffing as he sat down.

"Browning." Arthur said.

"What? Are you sure?" Yusuf asked in disbelief.

"It's the only logical answer." Arthur nodded and looked at Cobb.

"Browning could have extracted Ariadne's image from Fischer, hired someone to do research on her, and when they found her tried to get information on what we did." Cobb told the group and everyone grew silent.

"So how are we supposed to remedy this?" Saito asked.

"I'm not sure yet." Arthur shook his head.

"We could always kill those two idiots who captured her. And as for their boss, I'm willing to go in and get him." Eames said, grinning wickedly.

"That's not a first option. If worse comes to worst, then we'll go for that. But as for now, we just have to worry on Ariadne, then we can think about what we're going to do about Browning and Cobol. They know what Ariadne looks like. If they had gone into her head, they would have known what we all look like." Cobb replied.

"They already know what you two look like." Eames pointed out and Arthur and Cobb frowned.

"I know. Which is why it won't matter if we go in and try to settle something with them." Arthur said, shooting a sideways glance at Cobb.

"Are you sure that's safe?" Miles asked worriedly.

"No. But it may be our only chance. Browning is another issue. He won't stop until he gets what he wants. We may have to perform an Eradication on him. It's what we were 'hired' to do in the first place. If we can successfully perform it, Browning won't have any recollection of extracting from Fischer, in fact he won't even have the suspicion that caused him to extract from him." Arthur replied.

"It hasn't been successfully done though. Not for something this big. Eames has had experience with it, but I doubt he completed it." Yusuf protested.

"No one successfully performed Inception. And who did it? We did! We can do this too if we have to. And as for Eradication, I'm still working on the kinks." Eames reasoned as the team thought this over.

"I think we should do it." Cobb finally said.

"Are you sure?" Miles asked.

"I'll be fine. We'll all be fine. It's the only way to ensure Ariadne's safety and get Cobol and Browning off our backs." Cobb nodded, knowing that Miles was thinking about James and Philippa.

"We'll get you back home safely." Arthur assured and Cobb smiled, grateful.

"I trust you with my life." Cobb placed his hand on Arthur's shoulder. "Why do you think I picked you as my Point Man? You're the best."

"What about Ariadne?" Eames asked.

"What about her?" Saito asked curiously.

"You have to tell her what we're planning on doing. She's going to want in." Eames reminded them.

"She's in no condition to help." Arthur shook his head sternly.

"But you know her, she's as stubborn as Cobb, must be an Architect thing." Eames mumbled.

Arthur sighed. He knew Eames was right, but there wasn't much she could do. Her right wrist was broken, and he knew she was right handed. She wouldn't be able to do anything.

"If she wants in, I'll help her create the levels." Miles spoke up. "She just won't go into the dream. She isn't in any condition for that."

Cobb raised his eyebrow at Miles, surprised by his action. "Alright. We'll talk to her. And I can give some helpful feedback too."

"Are you sure that's safe? Remember what happened last time?" Saito asked and Cobb glared.

"That won't be a problem anymore." Cobb snapped.

"Alright, sorry." Saito raised his hands in surrender.

"Who's going to tell Ariadne?" Eames asked, scanning the room.

"We will, but she needs rest right now. We'll be landing in a couple of hours, and I want her to get treated before we tell her anything." Arthur replied.

"Alright, just don't try to push her out. She'll be pissed." Eames muttered and sat down.

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**So what did you think? Leave a review! Thanks for reading!**


	34. For Being Brave

**Thank you everyone for being patient with me. I have had a hard week, but on the upside I am feeling much better, which means I will probably be writing more! YAY! So here is the next chapter for you. I can't guarantee daily updates right now. I am deciding how I want to end the story and I'm having some trouble with that...so I may not update as frequently until I figure that out. Without further ado, here is the next chapter! Enjoy! Thank you for all your lovely reviews! And to make something clear, yes I do know I put Eradication instead of Extraction. They're two different things. Ones erasing a memory completely, the other is just stealing information...not removing it completely...hope that clears things up! **

**I don't own Inception :(

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The plane landed two hours after the conversation and everyone was anxious to get Ariadne to the hospital so she could be treated. Arthur carefully carried Ariadne and held her in the car. He was thinking about how they were going to have to perform eradication on Browning, and he was having doubts it would be able to work.

Ariadne noticed Arthur's silence and made a small noise, trying to get his attention. His eyes fell on her face and his expression softened.

"What's going on? Why are you so quiet?" Ariadne asked.

Arthur sighed and saw Eames shoot him a look. He quickly looked away from Eames and turned his attention on Ariadne.

"I'll tell you after we get you fixed up." Arthur assured her and she frowned, knowing that she wasn't going to get anything better than that.

"Fine." She sighed and closed her eyes, willing the pain to go away.

Arthur brushed the hair out of her face and stared out the window. Cobb, Miles, and Yusuf were sitting behind them in the car, silently waiting for their arrival at the hospital.

Eames grunted and shifted, careful to avoid hitting Ariadne. "Couldn't have gotten a limo." He grumpily mumbled to himself.

"Too ostentatious. We need to get there as discreetly as possible right now." Saito replied and Eames looked up shocked. He didn't think the Japanese man would be able to hear him.

"Well can you tell your driver to step on it? It's uncomfortable back here and she needs medical attention." Eames snapped.

"We're trying." The driver replied calmly, obviously used to being snapped at.

Eames crossed his arms. "Well you're not trying hard enough."

The driver stepped on the gas pedal, causing Eames to fly back against the seat. He growled and looked at Arthur and Ariadne, hoping the sudden movement didn't cause discomfort to the young woman. She was clenching her teeth and Eames was shooting the driver an annoyed look.

"Alright, alright! Stop! Slow the bloody car down!" Eames roared.

The driver eased the car into a slower speed and the rest of the ride was made in silence. As soon as they pulled into the parking lot, everyone jumped out of the car and rushed into the hospital, wanting to get Ariadne immediate attention. She had been waiting to be treated for too long, and they didn't want anything happening to her.

Saito requested the best doctors and the private room, so they could all go in and visit once they had her settled in. The doctors had Arthur put her on a bed and they took her to get X-rays and do an ultrasound to check for more fractures and the possibility of internal bleeding.

Arthur and the team were told to wait in the private waiting room and they all sat anxiously, waiting to hear the news.

For what seemed like hours later, the doctors finally walked out. The team quickly stood up, anxiously awaiting the news they would bring.

"How is she?" Arthur asked.

"She's fine. She has some minor internal bleeding. She's being prepped for surgery now. You can go in and visit her, but one at a time." The doctor replied.

"What about her other injuries?" Cobb asked and Miles nodded.

"Her ribs are just fractured, thankfully. Had they been completely broken it would have been a problem. Her wrist was a clean break and we had to set that before putting it into a cast. As for her cuts, it seems that she was stitched up pretty well. Whoever did it, did an excellent job."

Yusuf nodded in appreciation and smiled. Eames stepped forward and sighed.

"Is the swelling on her face going down?"

The doctor nodded. "Yes. We also gave her some medication to help the swelling go down. Her bruises will take some time to heal though. Overall she's fine. You don't have anything to worry about. The incident that happened was only due to exhaustion and overexertion. She just needs some rest. We'll keep her here overnight, maybe longer if needed, to keep an eye on her."

Arthur and Cobb let out a sigh of relief and looked at each other, smiling softly. They were just glad Ariadne would be fine.

"Who's going in first?" The doctor asked.

Everyone turned to look at Arthur. "I guess I am." He replied and followed the doctor, his nerves causing him discomfort.

"Right in here." The doctor stopped and motioned to the door. "You don't have much time. We have to get her into the operating room soon. If we don't stop the bleeding, it could become a severe problem."

"Alright." Arthur absentmindedly replied, walking into the room and watching as the nurses inserted IV's into Ariadne's arm and explained what to expect before and after surgery. Ariadne nodded and when she noticed Arthur standing in the doorway she smiled, her worried features changing immediately.

Arthur returned the smile and walked slowly to her side, allowing the nurses to finish up what they were doing before taking a seat next to Ariadne and observing her.

"You look much better." Arthur noted and Ariadne nodded slightly.

"They set my wrist and put a cast on it. Although this means I won't be able to use my right hand. It's a good thing I'm ambidextrous huh?" Ariadne smirked and Arthur looked at her shocked.

"You're ambidextrous? I've only seen you use your right hand though." Arthur replied.

"Yeah, well I prefer my right hand. It became a habit, but when I was younger I learned to do most things with my left hand. I'm not sure when that changed." Ariadne said thoughtfully.

Arthur shook his head and looked at her cast. "Blue. I should have figured."

Ariadne grinned. "Hey, just because I like blue doesn't mean you have to give me a hard time about it."

"I'm not. I like blue too." Arthur said, holding his hands up in surrender.

Ariadne's smile faded and she looked at Arthur, fear in her eyes. "I hate hospitals. I really don't want to go into surgery."

"You have to." Arthur told her, taking her hand and gently squeezing it. "I'll be waiting for you and as soon as you're out, I'll be right by your side."

"Thanks." Ariadne closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and opening her eyes as the nurse walked in.

"Mr. Giordano, we have to take Miss Tremblay now." The nurse kindly said and Arthur nodded, standing up. He hesitated a moment and leaned down to kiss her softly.

"I'll be right here when you wake up. I promise." Arthur whispered and Ariadne nodded, her fear evident in her eyes.

"Alright Miss Tremblay, remember what we told you. It shouldn't take too long and we'll have you brought back to the room afterwards."

"Can Arthur come in right away?" Ariadne blurted out and the nurse turned to look at Arthur. She took in his appearance and nodded.

"Yes he can. We'll inform you when she's out Mr. Giordano." The nurse said as another nurse walked in and began to help push Ariadne's bed into the hallway.

Arthur helped push the head of the bed out and was told to wait in the waiting room. He watched as Ariadne was carted away and sighed. He turned around when they were out of sight and walked back to the waiting room. He found the team sitting anxiously.

"How is she?" Miles immediately asked.

"She looks much better. She has some color again, and the swelling looked like it was going down. They just took her into surgery. They said it shouldn't take long and we'll be notified when she's out." Arthur replied, sitting down. He could feel the fatigue take over his body and he let out a breath.

"You should get some rest Arthur." Cobb said, placing his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"No. I'm fine. I promised Ariadne I would be there when she wakes up." Arthur shook his head and looked up at his friend.

"We'll wake you up when she's out of surgery." Eames spoke up.

Arthur shook his head again. "I'm fine. I just need to go take a walk and get some coffee." He stood up and walked off. The others watched his retreating form and sat down.

"We all should get some rest." Miles broke the silence and everyone nodded, taking a seat and allowing themselves to get comfortable.

When Arthur returned he found the four men asleep in the waiting room. Arthur smiled to himself and shook his head.

Arthur sat down a few seats away from Cobb and looked up when he saw Saito walk into the waiting room.

"How is everything?"

"Ariadne's in surgery now. She'll be fine." Arthur informed him. Saito nodded and looked around the room.

"If you need anything at all, let me know. I'll have my people get whatever you need." Saito replied as he began to walk away. "I have some business to attend to, so I can't stay. Give Ariadne my best wishes and keep me informed."

"I will." Arthur nodded.

"Oh, and don't leave without letting me know first." Saito warned and Arthur raised his eyebrow at him, but nodded.

Saito left just as quickly as he had arrived, leaving Arthur to his thoughts. He moved to get more comfortable and looked at the clock. He closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep, the events finally catching up with him.

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**So what did you think? If you have any ideas about how the story should end, let me know...that's where I'm stuck right now...thanks a lot!**

**P.S. Who's seen the news about the Dark Knight Rises? So Joseph Gordon Levitt is confirmed for being cast in the movie! I'm super excited about it! You don't even know! lol :D  
**


	35. In This Moment

**I wanted to update earlier, but I got distracted by Inception stuff on Youtube :) I can't get enough of Inception...so anyways, here's the next chapter. The next chapters are going to be slower, but things will pick up again. Also, some people said they'd like to see more of an independent Ariadne, and I agree...I am working on that. Some heat is coming up...and I'm trying to break the idea of her being the "damsel in distress" although I am particularly fond of it...I guess I'd just want a guy to save me, especially if he looked like Arthur ;) But I agree...I'm going to bring out Ariadne's tough side, and I think I have something in mind...leave a review and let me know what you think!  
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**Inception isn't mine.

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Arthur was woken up by Cobb gently shaking him. He sighed and opened his eyes, looking at Cobb.

"Hey. Ariadne just got out of surgery."

Arthur sat up, more alert and rubbed his eyes. He looked around and noticed that the others were gone.

"Where is everyone?" He asked.

"They're waiting to go in and see her." Cobb replied.

Arthur nodded and followed Cobb to the room where Ariadne was in. He found Miles, Eames, and Yusuf waiting impatiently outside the room.

"The doctor said only two people in at a time." Eames said.

"Alright. Who's going in with me first?" Arthur asked.

"I will go." Yusuf replied.

The two men walked into the room quietly, feeling that if they were to make any noise, Ariadne would wake up. Arthur took a seat next to her bed, keeping his promise to be there when she wakes up.

Yusuf walked cautiously to the bed and looked her over. She did look much better. Her face wasn't as swollen and it looked like she had more color in her cheeks.

"I'm glad she's alright." Yusuf finally let out a relieved sigh after looking her over. Arthur nodded.

"She's not out of the woods yet. None of us are. We have to get this done, otherwise we'll all be running for the rest of our lives." Arthur sighed.

"We'll get through this. I have to work up a new sedative though, one strong enough for us to be able to erase memories with ease but not too strong that we'll fall into limbo." Yusuf said.

"I thought you already made that sedative?" Arthur asked.

Yusuf shook his head. "It wasn't very stable. I didn't have time to test it out and perfect it, which was probably part of Cobol's plan."

Arthur sat there quietly, thinking things over. Now that he knew Ariadne would be fine, his mind started working double time to figure out how they were going to get to Browning.

"I'm going to let the next person come in." Yusuf finally said, breaking Arthur out of his thoughts. Arthur nodded and watched as Yusuf looked at Ariadne one last time before walking out.

Arthur waited for the next person to enter, but no one did. He looked at the door concerned, but decided not to think about it. He figured Ariadne wouldn't be awake for another hour or so and maybe they wanted to wait. So when Saito walked in he was surprised.

"Saito. You're here sooner than I expected."

Saito nodded and looked at Ariadne. His eyes softening. Arthur noticed this and studied the man standing across the room.

"I have news for you." Saito finally said. Arthur sat patiently, waiting to hear what Saito had to say.

"I have managed to get in contact with some people. They said they are able to clear your names from Cobol completely. However, there still will be the few men who want to get to you. Unfortunately Browning already knows about Ariadne. I do know some people who have been training in extraction, particularly eradication. I will send them to perform eradication on Browning and the Cobol men. Your names will be cleared off of Cobol's computer. It will be as if you were erased from their system and were never there."

Arthur stared at Saito shocked. That must have been why no one came into the room. Saito was telling them the same thing. Arthur gulped and looked at Ariadne.

"We were planning on performing eradication on Browning ourselves." Arthur finally said and Saito looked at him sternly.

"That won't be necessary."

"If you want the job done right, do it yourself." Cobb's voice came from the doorway and the two men in the room turned to look at him. He was leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed and a strange expression on his face.

"I suppose so…" Saito trailed off, his brow scrunching up in confusion.

"Cobb's right. With Cobol it isn't as important. But as long as we have Browning wanting to catch us, it's not safe. Cobol could easily be dealt with. Money talks…" Arthur said, his voice professional.

Cobb nodded in agreement. "As long as you can get Browning free for us, we'll be able to perform eradication on him. With Cobol…money does talk. Bribe them enough, and they'll back off."

"Of course we would be in your debt." Arthur added.

Saito shook his head. "You've already done enough for me. I'm in your debt." Saito replied, smiling. He pulled out his phone and left the room, informing his people in the change of plans.

"She won't be awake for another hour. I don't know if you want to wait until then so you can talk to her. I know you'll want her to start sketching as soon as she can." Arthur said, avoiding Cobb's eyes.

"Arthur. Right now she just needs to get better. I'll tell her about the plan, but I won't ask her to do anything yet."

Arthur smiled. "You know she will start working as soon as she can."

Cobb chuckled. "So stubborn."

"The personality of a true Architect." Miles said as he walked in. "I know they only said two people in the room at a time, but Ariadne won't mind."

Arthur nodded. "She's going to be asleep for a while. The anesthesia should wear off soon."

Miles nodded. "Well she does look better doesn't she?" Miles' voice was filled with relief.

"So what's the plan?" Eames asked, also walking into the now crowded room.

"We'll discuss that as soon as Ariadne is well enough to pay attention and give input." Cobb replied.

Eames grunted and looked at the small woman in the bed. He smiled, relieved to see her looking so well.

"Well she definitely doesn't look like she's been hit by a truck anymore."

"She'll be up and about in no time." The doctor said, raising his eyebrows at all the men in the room. "You know, we did say only two people in the room at a time. I see you've doubled that."

"Sorry. We'll be leaving now." Cobb excused and the three of them left the room, leaving Arthur and Ariadne in silence with the doctor.

"How long will she need to be here?" Arthur asked, more out of concern than urgency.

"When she wakes up we'll see how she's feeling. Depending on her condition and the amount of pain, we'll keep her here. We're only thinking two days at the most."

"Thank you." Arthur nodded and returned his gaze to Ariadne.

* * *

An hour later Ariadne began to stir. Her eyes fluttered and she finally opened them, groaning. Arthur grabbed her hand, assuring her that he was there and Ariadne opened her eyes.

She furrowed her brows and Arthur looked at her alarmed. She shook her head and shut her eyes tight.

"What is it?"

"I don't feel too well."

"Should I call a nurse?" Arthur asked, moving to get ready to push the button if needed.

"No. It'll pass. It's just nausea." Ariadne dismissed and Arthur pulled away.

Arthur sat down again and watched her carefully. She looked a little sick from the anesthesia, but they both knew it would be a side effect. She also looked tired and confused.

"You know where you're at right?" Arthur asked, just making sure.

"Of course." Ariadne replied, her eyes still shut tight.

"Ok. The others wanted to come see you, but you were asleep. So they decided to wait."

"They can come in now if they want." Ariadne replied, finally opening her eyes.

Arthur stood up and walked to the door. He opened it and found Cobb leaning against the wall by the door. When he heard the door opening he looked up.

"Is she awake?"

"Yes. She's ready to see you. One at a time ok?" Arthur whispered, glancing at the other men sitting in the waiting room.

Cobb nodded and walked in. He spotted Ariadne and smiled, glad to see that she was awake.

"Hey. How are you feeling?"

"I hate anesthesia." Ariadne bitterly replied and Cobb chuckled.

"It's different for everyone. Arthur was so confused when he woke up after having surgery one time. He thought Mal was his sister and I was his brother." Cobb laughed, telling Ariadne the story.

Ariadne giggled, but winced. "Arthur, I can't picture you as the loopy type."

Arthur scowled. "I thought we promised to never bring that up?"

"Aww, but Artie, I love hearing these stories about you." Ariadne teased softly and Arthur glared.

"Don't call me Artie." Arthur frowned.

Ariadne looked up at him with her big brown eyes and he looked away, refusing to give in. He knew eventually she'd win, but not now.

"Actually I have some news for you." Cobb spoke up, breaking up the little moment.

"What is it?" Ariadne asked, worried.

"Don't worry. It's nothing bad. We just have a plan. Saito is working everything out with Cobol, however we have to perform eradication on Browning. It's the only way to ensure that he won't go after us again." Cobb explained and Ariadne listened intently.

"You want me to design the levels don't you?" Ariadne finally asked.

Cobb paused and nodded. "But not right away. You need to rest up. We have time. Don't push yourself ok? I can easily help with whatever you need, and Miles offered too."

Ariadne smiled and nodded. "I can't wait!"

Arthur shook his head, amused. "I told you she wouldn't be able to resist."

"You're talking about me when I can't defend myself?" Ariadne playfully asked.

Arthur nodded. "We both knew you'd want in."

"You are quite stubborn." Cobb added and Ariadne glared.

"So what's the full plan?" Ariadne asked, ignoring the last comment.

"Well…"

* * *

**So what did you think? Like I said, Ariadne is going to be more tough in later chapters...any suggestions? I have a few ideas in mind thanks to some suggestions in the reviews, but I love to hear what you think. I can even tie in a bunch of things. Don't think that I don't read your reviews, because I do. I just don't always have time to reply. But I take your suggestions into consideration and think how I can tie them into my story. So feel free to leave suggestions! Thanks for reading! It means a lot! Show your appreciation by reviewing! :D**


	36. Science of Fear

**First of all, I'm soooo sorry about the long wait. Life decided to get crazy. My dog got really really sick and I was pretty distracted and down for the past two days, but he's back home now and much better. But it was scary! Second of all, chapters might not be updated as frequently anymore. I think I know how I want to bring the story to an end, but I have to find the time to write. So as I start to draw this story to an end, the updates won't be as fast. I'm so thankful for all your reviews and suggestions. I take all of them into consideration, and if I feel that it would tie into my story well, I will use your suggestions. So feel free to leave any! Lastly, thank you for being patient. Your patience is being rewarded today, enjoy the next chapter! Review please!**

**Inception belong to Nolan. End of story.

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**

"Well…" Cobb paused, thinking it through. "Saito is going to get us access to Browning. We will then be able to sedate him and go into his dream so we can erase all memories of him finding out about us and Inception."

"He won't get suspicious later on and try digging in for more information on us again?" Ariadne asked.

Arthur shook his head. "If we do it correctly he won't remember anything at all."

"We won't be destroying any part of his mind will we?" Ariadne asked, her conscience taking control for the moment.

"No. Just the memories and whatever else is connected to those memories." Cobb replied.

"Has this been done before?"

"Once." Eames voice came from the door and the three of them turned to look at him.

"What?" Cobb asked.

"I've done it before. There were complications with the Mark afterwards though." Eames admitted and the team grew silent.

"Can't you just twist his memories? Change his perspective on what's going on." Ariadne suggested.

Cobb and Arthur looked at each other, wondering if it would be possible. Eames grunted and walked to stand next to Cobb.

"That would probably be more difficult than eradication." Eames finally replied.

"How so?" Ariadne challenged.

"Well if we're going to twist a memory we will also be performing a slight Inception. We'll take a memory and add another idea to it. That would be a lot more difficult than Eradication or Inception." Arthur explained and Ariadne stared at the ground, deep in thought.

"Which one would be more effective though?" Ariande asked.

"Eradication." Cobb replied.

"Are you sure?" Ariadne pressed.

"Probably not, but we will have more work for us if we try Persuasive Inception." Arthur finally said, shooting a worried glance at Eames.

"He's right, love. If we go about Persuasive Inception we will have to work twice as hard. If we just perform Eradication, the risks for him are higher, but we won't have to worry about him ever remembering that he found out about you." Eames said.

"But you just said that Persuasive Inception would be more effective." Ariadne pointed out and Eames froze.

"How about we discuss which one we'll do and take a vote." Cobb suggested.

"If we do that we all know that I'll be outnumbered." Ariadne sighed and crossed her arms tiredly.

Arthur frowned. She was right. None of them wanted to even try to attempt Persuasive Inception. If they did, their work would be doubled. Not only that, but the risks were ten times worse.

"Ari, we can't risk trying it. It's not worth it." Arthur finally spoke up.

"Our lives are worth it Arthur." Ariadne snapped.

Eames stepped forward. "Ariadne, Eradication will work just fine. Trust me on it. I have experience, I know what to do and what not to do. And we'll keep each other safe. Saito has even offered to get his own men to perform Eradication, but we refused because we wanted to get the job done right."

Ariadne bit her lip. She knew she should listen to Eames, but she still wanted to do the best job they could.

"The risks are much, much higher with Persuasive Inception." Cobb said.

"Our chances of falling into limbo are too high. If we do it, the first level could send us to limbo. We'd have to be extra careful and you wouldn't be anywhere near us when we go under. Not only that, but we have to have an extremely good reason to give him otherwise it won't work." Arthur rubbed his face, hoping Ariadne would understand.

She did. As soon as she heard limbo her heart stopped. She remembered what it was like down there and she didn't want to experience that again. She'd rather forget it, but when she could dream, limbo always became her nightmare. She shuddered and Arthur stepped closer to her.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

Ariadne shook her heard. "I'm just a little cold, and the pain is starting to get worse." Ariadne partially lied. Arthur moved to get the nurse, but Eames held out his hand, shaking his head.

"I'll go." Eames said before turning to leave.

After Eames left Arthur turned back to Ariadne, raising his brows. She avoided his gaze and looked at Cobb. Cobb returned her gaze knowingly.

"Eradication will be fine." She whispered and Cobb nodded. Arthur stared at the two in shock. He was upset that Ariadne wouldn't tell him what was going on and he began to walk out.

"I'll get Miles. He wants to see you."

Ariadne tried to protest, but Arthur was out of the room before she could say anything.

"You should tell him." Cobb sternly said.

"I can't."

"You have to. Secrets won't work in relationships."

"You're one to talk." Ariadne said before shutting her mouth and staring at him with wide eyes. "Cobb I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

Cobb shook his head. "No, you're right. I should have told Arthur about Mal. But we're friends. You're dating him. He needs to know you went to limbo."

"I have nightmares about it." Ariadne admitted, avoiding Cobb's worried look.

"I knew we shouldn't have gone deeper." Cobb sighed. "Talk to Arthur."

"You don't dream about limbo?"

"No. I don't dream anymore." Cobb frowned and watched as Miles entered the room, no sign of Arthur behind him.

"Where's Arthur?" Ariadne asked.

"He said he was going to take a walk." Miles replied, oblivious to the obvious worry and disappointment on Ariadne's face.

"It's good to see you awake and talking." Miles smiled at her and sat down on the chair next to Ariadne's bed.

"Thank you Miles." Ariadne smiled softly at him, but her mind was elsewhere.

"Are you alright my dear?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired." Ariadne replied, her focus on Miles.

"We were briefing her on the plan." Cobb spoke up.

"Ah, well I can do any work if needed." Miles sincerely said and Ariadne nodded.

"I'll let you get some rest. Arthur should be back soon." Miles stood up and followed Cobb out of the room.

Cobb turned around quickly, nodding at Ariadne. "Eames will be here with the nurse soon."

Ariadne smiled and sat quietly, thinking over Cobb's words. He was right. She should talk to Arthur. But the truth was, she was afraid. She didn't know how he'd react to her being in limbo and she'd rather not have him know about it. But if she kept it a secret, he'd eventually find out. Especially with her nightmares.

"Hey darling." Eames whispered and entered the room, the nurse following close behind.

"Eames." She smiled.

"This lovely lady is going to give you some pain medication. It'll make you drowsy, but you need your rest."

"Is Arthur around?" Ariadne asked, ignoring Eames comment.

"No. He left?" He asked. Ariadne frowned and nodded. "What happened?"

"Nothing." Ariadne brushed off and looked at the nurse. "The pain's been getting worse."

"Alright miss. Here's the button. If you feel the pain becomes too much, push it and the drip will allow you to give yourself a dose of morphine. There's a safeguard, so you can't exceed a certain amount, but use as needed." The nurse explained and Ariadne smiled gratefully.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. If you need anything at all, feel free to give us a call." The nurse turned to Eames and grinned. Eames winked at her and nodded.

"If you see Arthur, tell him to come in." Ariadne said before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

* * *

**I had to add some drama. Things were too fluffy and perfect and I was getting bored with it. It's not bad drama, things will remain fairly calm until the job...if it even happens... O.O Haha...I'm still deciding what I want to happen...one particular idea comes to mind...hehe...oh I'm mean, thinking out loud...anyways, leave a review and let me know what you think! Thank you so much for reading! You all are awesome!**


	37. Words We Speak

**Sorry about the long wait. Things got hectic. I was volunteering at a youth convention and all my time was spent there. I pretty much had no sleep for three days. And then I just didn't feel like writing on Sunday because I wanted to relax before my spring break ended. So now here I am, updating. Thank you all for being patient and sticking with this story. Leave a review, it encourages me and lets me know who's still reading and what you all think. So anyways, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

**I wish I owned Inception, but I don't.

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**

Eames closed the door behind him, leaving a sleeping Ariadne in the room. He frowned and looked around for Arthur. He spotted Cobb briskly walking out of the waiting room. He looked worried and anxious.

"Cobb!" Eames called and Cobb stopped, turning around impatiently.

"What?" He asked, his foot tapping.

"Where's Arthur. He went out for a walk, but hasn't returned."

"You don't think they got him, do you?" Eames asked.

Cobb shook his head. "No. I think he's upset and had to clear his head. I'll find him. He shouldn't have gone far. Besides, he wouldn't just leave Ariadne like that."

"What happened?"

"That's for them to discuss." Cobb sighed.

"Oh come on." Eames whined.

"No. They need to resolve this on their own." Cobb replied, turning on his heels and leaving Eames confused.

Cobb walked anxiously, trying to find Arthur. He finally made it to the first level of the hospital and spotted Arthur sitting on a bench outside. He was slumped over and his head was in his hands. Cobb frowned and walked quietly to him, knowing that Arthur would sense his presence.

He sat down next to Arthur, not receiving any acknowledgement from his friend. He sighed and sat back, waiting for Arthur to say the first word.

"She's hiding something." Arthur finally said.

"You need to talk to her about it."

"So you do know! How could you keep something from me?" Arthur asked, angry.

"Arthur, it's not mine to tell."

"She went with you in limbo didn't she? That's the only way you would know." Arthur frowned and looked at Cobb accusingly.

"Arthur…"

"You're not denying it. It's true. How could you let her go!" Arthur raised his voice.

"It was spontaneous. It was the only way to get Fischer out of limbo." Cobb explained.

"Wait, Fischer was in limbo too? Why didn't anyone inform me of all of this?"

"It didn't matter. We just wanted to get the job done."

"And you were being selfish. First you keep the fact that we will fall into limbo if we're killed in the dream, then you decide to leave out that you, Ariadne, and Fischer were all in limbo. I knew Saito would end up down there, but you dragged Ariadne and Fischer down there too!"

"Arthur, calm down please." Cobb hissed and looked around him.

"How can I trust you?" Arthur looked at his friend in disbelief.

"Look, I know I should have told you about the sedative, but Ariadne is the one that needs to talk to you about limbo, or at least her experiences there. I do have some explaining to do."

"Please explain." Arthur bitterly said and waited, staring harshly at Cobb.

"You know about Mal. I don't need to tell you about what happened there, but there is something else that you didn't know."

Arthur raised his eyebrow, his anger slowly seeping away. Cobb sat quietly, his eyes scrunched together, deep in thought. He was trying to figure out how to get out the words and with Arthur's piercing, intense gaze, he was finding it difficult.

"Mal was a shade in my dreams. I was keeping memories of her and would dream them when I had the chance. My guilt defined her and soon she became so powerful she started showing up in my dreams and would sabotage our missions."

Arthur sat quietly and listened. His thoughts were becoming overwhelming. He turned to Cobb.

"But that doesn't explain why your guilt defined her and why she was interfering so much with Inception."

"I performed Inception on her. When we were doing those tests, we wanted to see how far we could go. We ended up in limbo and she began to see limbo as her reality. I had to convince her that we weren't in reality and when I did, I planted the idea in her mind. It took, but I had no idea it would grow like a seed, a parasite, and soon she believed that we were no longer in reality after we woke up. She killed herself and framed me for it." Cobb sadly replied and Arthur sat in shock.

"That's why you knew Inception was possible. You performed it on Mal."

"I didn't think it would go so far. I never wanted her to kill herself. I didn't even think that it was possible for a little idea to turn into something so huge. Especially when it was in a dream." Cobb choked and swallowed back tears.

Arthur turned to his friend. "I'm sorry Cobb."

Cobb shook his head. "Don't be sorry. It was our own mistake. Our curiosity and creativity took over and we allowed ourselves to get in too deep. I didn't know that the idea would eat at her either. We both should have done more research and been more cautious."

Arthur stared at his friend in disbelief. "I'm sorry for raising my voice with you."

"Don't worry about it. Just go talk to Ariadne." Cobb stood up and looked over his shoulder at Arthur.

"I just need to clear my head. I'll be up soon." Arthur absentmindedly replied, trying to take in everything Cobb had told him. "Oh and Cobb! Thanks for telling me."

Cobb nodded and disappeared into the building. Arthur sighed and leaned back, letting his head fall back. He took in a deep breath and felt refreshed. His confrontation with Ariadne was going to be difficult, but now he knew part of the story, or at least Cobb's story.

He stood up and stretched before turning to walk into the hospital, he carefully took the stairs, wanting to exercise and give himself more time to think. He arrived at the top floor ten minutes later and slowly walked to the waiting room where Eames was staring at him impatiently.

Arthur shook his head and made his way to Ariadne's room. He opened the door quietly and found her sleeping. He frowned and walked to the bed.

"She took morphine about half an hour ago. She won't be awake for a while." Eames said, his voice dripping with anger.

"Alright." Arthur replied and sat down in the chair.

"What the hell did you do Arthur?" Eames asked, feeling his big brother side take over.

"I didn't do anything Eames." Arthur growled and Eames shook his head.

"No, you're not going to do that to me. What happened?"

"Nothing happened. Ariadne chose not to tell me something, I'm going to talk to her about it."

"Cobb told you what it was. That's why you're so willing to come in here and talk. You wouldn't have done it if he hadn't explained. I know you Arthur. You shut down when you sense you're being shut out."

"Don't psychoanalyze me. I'm not one of your subjects." Arthur was getting irritated.

"You're easier to read than you think." Eames pointed out.

"Look, I'm going to talk to Ariadne about this. We'll get through this. I just don't understand why she'd keep it from me."

"What did she keep from you?" Eames asked.

"If she wants to tell you, then you'll find out." Arthur replied and moved when he saw Ariadne's fingers twitch.

Eames frowned and shook his head. He observed the young woman in the bed and turned his gaze to the older Point Man.

"Now if you don't mind, I'd like some privacy as I talk to my girlfriend. Go talk to Cobb and Yusuf about the plan. We need to start preparing now." Arthur ordered and Eames rolled his eyes, but left without protest.

* * *

Ariadne opened her eyes about an hour later and once she regained focus, she turned her head and saw Arthur. She smiled, relieved, and reached out her hand. He took it, but not before hesitating. Ariadne noticed this and had to hide the hurt she felt.

"Ari…"

"I have to tell you something Arthur." Ariadne cut him off, wanting to tell him before she lost her nerve.

"I know." Arthur replied.

"Cobb told you?" She asked.

"He didn't go into details. He said I should talk to you." Arthur said and Ariadne nodded.

"Help me sit up." Ariadne squirmed and Arthur pushed the button on the bed and it rose into a sitting position.

"Whenever you're ready." Arthur told her and she nodded, sighing and taking a deep breath.

* * *

**So...what did you think? I'm trying to wrap this story up, and it's difficult because I'm not sure where I want it to go yet. I have something in mind, and I might just stick with it...but we'll see. So review! :D Thanks for reading!**


	38. Follow You Down

**Hey everyone! Thanks for the reviews and for still sticking with me! So I think I know how I'm going to end it...I just need to find more time to write so I can wrap this story up. Plus I have so many more ideas that I want to do, but I want to finish this first. Anyways, here is the next chapter! Hope you enjoy! Please leave a review! Thanks!**

**How many times do I have to say that I don't own Inception? I think we all know by now that I don't. :(

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**

Arthur waited patiently as Ariadne began to gather her thoughts and figure out where to begin.

"I went into limbo with Cobb." Ariadne stated, deciding to just be straightforward.

Arthur nodded, urging her to go on and she paused. She looked up at him and smiled sadly.

"It's something that I can't get out of my mind. We had to go down and get Fischer so he could open the safe. Mal shot him and we were running out of time. I suggested we go into limbo because we'd have more time, so we went under and looked for him. But Mal had kept him hidden and Cobb said he would stay there with Mal so she told us where he was. When she found out that he wasn't staying for her but rather to look for Saito, she stabbed him and I shot her. You had just given us the kick and I pushed Fischer over the edge and Cobb told me to jump or I'd miss the kick." Ariadne replied, shuddering as she remembered.

Arthur moved closer to her, grabbing her hand with both of his and kissing it. She opened her eyes and licked her lips.

"It wasn't that bad being down there at first. I was running on pure adrenaline so I had no time to think about what really was going on, but after I woke up I was terrified. I hid it though, my happiness for Cobb taking over." Ariadne replied and Arthur nodded.

"Everything down there was created by Cobb and Mal. None of it was real, yet it felt so real. It was not my world and seeing it collapsing and deteriorating around me was terrifying."

"But you made it out." Arthur reminded her.

"Yes, but it still haunts me in my dreams. Whenever I have dreams, it's of limbo and Mal. Mal coming at me with a knife. Me shooting Mal and she stands up and shoots me back. I get trapped in limbo alone. There are so many variations of the nightmares I have about limbo. I almost wish I could stop dreaming." Ariadne looked at Arthur, fear in her eyes.

"Don't ever wish that upon yourself. I long to dream normally. I can't anymore, not without the PASIV. And when I do have the rare dream, they're beautiful." Arthur told her and Ariadne looked at him surprised.

"You still dream?"

"Once in a very, very long time. It's been months since my last dream." Arthur admitted.

"Wow." Ariadne whispered.

"And I'm right here. If you ever have a nightmare about limbo, I'll be right here to remind you that you're not stuck there. Cobb shouldn't have taken you there."

"It was my idea though."

"That's beside the point. Cobb should have made you stay." Arthur sighed.

"If he did, Mal would have gotten the best of him and we may not have completed the job. Fischer, Cobb, and Saito would have all been stuck in limbo for who knows how long." Ariadne replied and Arthur closed his eyes, knowing she was right.

"Now you see why we don't want to take those risks again. Going with Eradication is the safest way to go. It may not be the most effective, but we have to try. I have complete faith in Eames. He knows what he's doing, even if he acts like a child when he does it." Arthur admitted and Ariadne smiled.

"I'm going to tell him you said that." Ariadne teased.

"No you're not." Arthur warned.

"Want to bet?"

"Actually yes. Because I know you wouldn't break my trust like that." Arthur said seriously and Ariadne looked at him afraid, not being able to tell that Arthur was teasing her.

"Ok." Ariadne breathed out.

Arthur grinned and kissed her. "Now I have to talk to Cobb. We have to start working now if we want to get this done soon. Saito already has his back up ready for us if needed."

"Wait, are you coming back?"

"Do you want us to talk in here?"

Ariadne nodded and Arthur walked out, bringing Cobb back in a few minutes later.

"We're discussing this again?"

"Yes." Arthur replied.

"I want to know what I have to do." Ariadne spoke up.

"We just need you to draw sketches, but we can't do that until we get the information we need and decide on what we want the levels to be." Cobb informed them.

"Right. How many levels do we have to go in?" Arthur asked, more for Ariadne's benefit than his.

"Three would be wise, but Eames said it's feasible with two." Cobb replied.

"Right now we can't do much. Arthur can start on his research and Eames can head out to observe Browning's closest men, including Fischer. We need to move though. We can't stay here and we can't go back to Mombasa."

"I have another safe house in London." Arthur spoke up and Ariadne and Cobb stared at him in disbelief.

"What? I have many safe houses that you don't know about." Arthur shrugged.

"There's a reason why you're the Point Man." Cobb grinned.

"So it's settled. Eames will head out as soon as possible and once Ariadne is discharged we'll head to London and work from there until we have to move to perform the eradication. We'll figure out all the details later."

"Sounds good." Ariadne nodded, glad that she will be able to get some work done.

"Ok. I am getting tired of saying this, but get some rest Ariadne. You need to recover fast, if not Miles and I will gladly create the levels."

Ariadne sat up straighter about to protest, but she caught the teasing look Cobb was giving her.

"Seriously, rest up." Cobb said and walked out.

Ariadne smiled at Arthur and he helped set the bed so it was back to a laying position. Ariadne kept her grip on Arthur's hand and he squeezed it reassuringly.

"You need to sleep too." Ariadne yawned and reached for the morphine button. Arthur noticed this and frowned.

"You're in pain."

Ariadne winced. "Just a little."

"Get some sleep."

"You need to sleep too." Ariadne repeated. "If you don't sleep, I don't sleep." She said defiantly, refusing to push the button.

Arthur relented and Ariadne moved over so Arthur could lay on the bed with her. He carefully got comfortable, making sure to avoid her IV's and injuries. Ariadne cuddled with him and pushed the button, allowing the pain relief to take over and she fell asleep in Arthur's arms.

Knowing that Ariadne was asleep and comfortable, Arthur allowed sleep to overtake him, thoughts of Ariadne taking over as he drifted off into a sleep.

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**So what did you think? Leave a review and let me know! thank you all!**


	39. Our War

**Hey everyone! Thanks for all of the reviews and for being patient. I haven't had much time to write, and when I do I just get stuck...so I'm really trying to get this story wrapped up. This is actually a really long story for me. I like to stop before 28 chapters usually, and with this one being long I'm having a harder time trying to finish it. But I will! I already have a few things in mind...so be on the lookout for those. And I'm starting to think of other story ideas and oneshot ideas for the future...but right now school will be keeping my busy...so yeah. Anyways, here's the next chapter! Enjoy and leave a review!**

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Ariadne woke up feeling overheated. She turned slightly and remembered that Arthur was laying in her bed with her. She smiled and brought her hand up to his face and gently ran her fingers down his face, causing him to stir, but she didn't notice.

Arthur woke up. Soft flutters were on his face and his nose scrunched as it tickled him. He slowly opened his eyes and found Ariadne's big brown eyes staring into his sleepy brown ones. He smiled softly and yawned before stretching and sitting up, allowing Ariadne to move into a more comfortable position for her.

"How'd you sleep?" He asked, rubbing his eyes and getting off the bed.

"Like a log. Both of you." Eames smirked as he made his presence known. Arthur turned around, surprised and glared at the Forger.

"How long have you been in here?" Ariadne asked, blushing.

"For a few hours. The nurses came out complaining about a man sleeping in the small bed with the invalid." Eames replied, his smirk growing larger.

"What's that got to do with you being in here?" Arthur asked, growing annoyed.

"I am your rescuer. If it weren't for me they would have kicked you out. I convinced them that Ariadne was fine and neither of you were uncomfortable." Eames said, walking towards Arthur.

"Thanks." Ariadne mumbled and yawned, wincing as she remembered her pain.

"You'll be sore from the stitches for a while. As for the ribs, those should heal in due time." Eames solemnly told her and she nodded.

"Where's everyone?" Arthur asked, as he stood up.

"Cobb and Miles left to get tickets for the next flight to London. Yusuf is sleeping out in the waiting room, and Saito had business to take care of, but he promised to call and fill us in as soon as he got any news from his men." Eames replied.

"So I'm going to be discharged today?" Ariadne asked hopefully.

"Yes my dear." Eames smiled at her. "I actually came to tell you goodbye. My flight leaves in two hours."

Ariadne's smile quickly disappeared. "Oh."

"Hey, it's ok. Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself. And as soon as I'm finished in Los Angeles, I will head back to London in a flash." Eames grinned and moved to stand next to Ariadne.

She smiled and nodded. "Be careful, Eames."

"I will darling. Take care of Arthur here will you? Make sure he eats and sleeps. You know how he gets when he's working." Eames teased and Ariadne giggled. Arthur rolled his eyes and hid a smile.

"I'll keep an eye on him." Ariadne grinned and looked at Arthur.

"Good." Eames smiled. "Arthur, take care of her."

"I will." Arthur replied.

"I know you will. I'm just reminding you." Eames shook Arthur's hand and pulled him into a hug. Arthur stiffened at first, but hugged Eames back.

"This will all be over soon." Arthur said after Eames pulled away.

"Let's hope so. Goodbye love." Eames leaned down and kissed Ariadne's cheek. She smiled and held him down for a hug.

"Bye Eames. See you soon."

"Right." Eames said as he waved and walked out of the room.

"I didn't know we were going to start so soon." Ariadne spoke up.

"We have to. Eames needs a head start anyway. You, Cobb, and Miles could easily get the levels done in a few days. I need to start getting to work. And Yusuf, well he has to start working on a sedative for this. So we're all going to be busy." Arthur said.

"So what are the Architects supposed to do while we wait?" Ariadne asked.

"Cobb has some planning to do. You guys can help him. But there really isn't much you can do until I can pull up some information on Browning." Arthur sighed.

"I hate waiting." Ariadne mumbled and Arthur chuckled.

"Well this will be your first lesson on patience then." Arthur said as he stretched out and walked around the room. "I'm going to see when you can be discharged. Cobb and Miles should be back soon and I want to leave as soon as possible."

"Wait, if Saito has a private jet, aren't we going to just take that? It would be easier."

"But it will be less conspicuous if we went with the airlines. We want to try to stay away from being noticed through ostentatious things as much as possible. It will help us stay off the grid." Arthur informed her.

"Yes, but if we take a public plane, won't our records be in their computers?"

"Ah, you see Cobb has plenty of experience with this. Fake passports are easily attained. Have faith in Cobb." Arthur grinned and Ariadne shook her head, trying to grasp everything she'd been told.

"I see you two are awake. Cobb told me to let you know that once you are ready, we can discharge Ariadne and head to the airport. He wants to get to London as soon as possible so we can get to work." Yusuf said as he walked into the room, looking groggy.

Arthur nodded. "I'll find the nurses and let them know." He quickly left the room, leaving an awkward Yusuf and tired Ariadne alone. They remained silent, and glanced at each other every few minutes, unsure of what to say. Luckily for them, Arthur walked in with a nurse trailing behind him.

"Miss Tremblay, we just need you to fill out this paperwork and you'll be free to leave." The nurse smiled kindly at her and Ariadne grinned.

"Thanks." She said as Arthur handed her the clipboard and pen.

"Do you need help?" Arthur asked. Ariadne shook her head defiantly.

"No, I can do it." She absentmindedly replied as she wrote with her left hand.

"Yusuf, has Cobb called?"

"No. Not yet." Yusuf replied.

"Ok, I'll give him a call to check when our flight leaves and let him know we're heading over." Arthur said, pulling out his phone and walking out of the room while Ariadne filled out her paperwork.

Yusuf talked quietly with the nurse, leaving Ariadne to focus on what she was filling out. She hesitated, wondering if she should put her real name or not. She cleared her throat and looked around, but Yusuf and the nurse had left the room.

"Arthur." She called out and Arthur came walking in a few moments later.

"You need something?"

"Should I put my real name?" She whispered and Arthur thought for a moment before nodding.

"Saito should be able to keep this private. You should be fine. And this won't matter once we perform our job on Browning."

"Ok." Ariadne nodded and finished her paperwork. Arthur took the papers from her gingerly and walked out to find the nurse. A few minutes later the nurse came in with a wheel chair and Arthur was trailing behind, a sympathetic smile on his face.

"It's protocol." The nurse told Ariadne and she sighed. The nurse moved to help her out of bed, but Arthur quickly rushed to help Ariadne instead. He carefully helped her stand up, making sure to keep most of her weight on him and gently walked her to the wheel chair. Ariadne looked at it distastefully and slumped into it, careful not to cause any pain to her injuries.

"What did Cobb say?" Ariadne asked as she was wheeled out of the room and into the elevator.

"Our flight is in two hours. We have enough time, don't worry." Arthur assured her and Ariadne nodded and opened her mouth. "And I made sure they took all of your things. Don't worry Ari. I have it under control."

Ariadne smiled at him and they continued to the front in silence. A taxi was waiting for them and Arthur helped Ariadne get in and thanked the nurse for her help. The nurse smiled at him and waved to Ariadne.

"To the airport." Arthur told the driver and he nodded.

"Our you sure we can do this?" Ariadne asked, grunting as she shifted.

Arthur nodded. "I'm sure. We'll be fine. Just relax. You don't have to do anything until we have everything sorted out."

"You know I hate just waiting around." Ariadne sighed.

"I know." Arthur turned to study her. "Are you sure you're alright? Maybe we should have kept you there longer?"

"I'm fine." Ariadne replied, closing her eyes.

"Just make sure to tell me if you feel even a little bit unwell. Ok?"

Ariadne opened her eyes and smiled at him. "I will."

The rest of the ride was ridden in silence. Both of them enjoying each other's company as they thought about what was to come.

* * *

**So what did you think? Like? Dislike? Leave a review! Thanks for sticking with me! :D**


	40. The Dark Side of Love

**Good news guys! I figured out what I wanted to happen and got into a huge writing streak...it was awesome! So I should update more frequently, as long as I don't lose my muse. So here is the next chapter for you! Hope you like it. Please leave a review, it means the world to me to read your comments and to know what you like. Thank you all for sticking with me...I can say that we will be reaching the home stretch here soon...also I do have a request...will someone PLEASE write a Baby Fic? There aren't very many A/A baby fics and I'm dying to read one...any takers? PLEASE? O.O (my attempt at puppy dog eyes) **

**Inception doesn't belong to me...neither does Arthur...*sigh*...**

* * *

Ariadne and Arthur found Cobb and Miles waiting for them at the front of the airport. It wasn't until then that Ariadne jumped.

"Arthur! Where's Yusuf?" She shrieked.

"He left before we did. Don't worry. Look, he's over there." Arthur pointed and Ariadne followed his gaze. Sure enough Yusuf was checking in their luggage for them. Ariadne shook her head, embarrassed with her sudden outburst.

"Cobb and Miles are waiting. Come on." Arthur gently told her and they climbed out of the cab.

Cobb and Miles were happy to see Ariadne out and about, but they were still worried about her. She looked weaker than her normal self and she even looked as if she were in pain.

"Ariadne, did you get any pain medication?" Miles asked worriedly.

Ariadne opened her mouth and froze, shaking her head. "I didn't even think about it."

"Well it's a good thing I did then." Arthur smirked and pulled out a bottle of prescription that the doctors gave to him.

"Well done, Point Man." Cobb patted Arthur on the back, not at all surprised by his efficiency.

"Thanks." Ariadne murmured, upset that she didn't remember that on her own. She was getting tired of being babied. Especially now. She wanted to be treated like the rest of them, but because of her injuries they would definitely be keeping their eyes on her. She could already see it in all of their eyes.

Miles looked worried and unhappy about her joining them. Cobb was giving her sympathetic glances. And Arthur…Arthur was sticking to her like she would topple over and die any minute. She loved that they cared about her, but she was starting to fee suffocated and incapable of taking care of herself.

She let out a sigh, careful to not let the others hear her and followed them to their gate. The waited around for Yusuf and began growing anxious when he still hadn't showed up. Finally, fifteen minutes before their flight was about to take off, Yusuf walked in. He looked disgruntled and apologetic.

"Sorry I'm late. I had to make a few calls about some sedatives to be shipped to London for me." Yusuf apologized.

"We're boarding now. Come on." Cobb said.

"Are we spread out?" Arthur asked, making sure Cobb did his job right.

Cobb rolled his eyes and nodded. "You and Ariadne will be sitting together. Miles and I will be together. Yusuf, you're going to be on your own." Cobb turned to Yusuf and handed him his ticket.

"Fine by me." Yusuf shrugged and grabbed his ticket, getting in line to board the plane.

The team quickly boarded the plane and took their seats, getting comfortable before the long flight ahead of them. While the flight attendants were giving their information, a routine that grew old for Arthur, he leaned over and whispered into Ariadne's ear.

"Are you comfortable enough?" He asked. Ariadne, growing irritated with being checked up on constantly turned to him.

"I'm fine. You don't need to keep asking me. Arthur, don't baby me. I don't need to be suffocated by all of you. Just give me space and let me take care of myself. Alright?" She snapped and turned away from Arthur, looking out the window.

Arthur stared at her in shock and nodded. He settled down into his seat and pulled a book out of his briefcase.

Ariadne felt bad for snapping at Arthur, but she needed to be treated like an adult. Not like a helpless child. She sighed, leaned back in her seat, and closed her eyes, choosing to ignore Arthur for now.

* * *

Cobb noticed that Arthur and Ariadne were silent and their body language was tense. He began to wonder what happened, but didn't want to get up and ask. They would have to work it out on their own.

"What do you think happened?" Miles asked Cobb, breaking him from his thoughts.

"I don't know. Every couple gets into a small fight." Cobb shrugged and continued to observe the two.

"Maybe she feels a bit, smothered?" Miles asked, looking at Cobb.

"Smothered? How so?"

"I don't know. She has this irritated look and I'm wondering if it has to do with her injuries." Miles replied.

"Whatever it is, they better get over it soon. We have to get to work and I can't have half of their attention. I need all of it." Cobb frowned, ending the conversation.

* * *

Arthur was so caught up in his book he didn't notice Ariadne fall asleep. It wasn't until her head landed softly on his shoulder that he turned his attention from the book to her. He smiled softly and kissed her head. Even though she was upset with him, she still looked peaceful in her sleep.

Deciding not to disturb her, with her already being mad at him, he returned to his book.

* * *

The crew walked off the plane feeling grumpy, tired, and jet-lagged. Arthur allowed Miles to drive. He knew London pretty well and he had insisted anyways. Arthur needed a break too. He was tired and needed to clear his head.

Arthur sat in the front with Miles, giving him directions to the house. He hadn't talked things over with Ariadne, choosing to let her come to him when she was ready. He glanced back and noticed that Ariadne wasn't talking to Cobb or Yusuf. His brow furrowed and he turned his attention back to the road.

Cobb and Yusuf were too tired to read into Ariadne's silence. They were also too annoyed with having to squeeze three people in the back seat to think about the awkward tension the young architect was giving off. Instead they grumbled about getting to the house and getting some sleep.

"We're almost there." Arthur tiredly snapped, wanting to get to bed just as much as they did.

"I think I understand what it's like to have children now." Arthur mumbled, earning a small smile from Cobb.

"We can give them a call when we get to the house." Miles whispered to Cobb. Cobb nodded and finally turned his attention to the young woman who was squished between Yusuf and himself.

"Are you alright?" Cobb asked.

Ariadne turned to look at him, her eyes narrowing. "Why is everyone asking me that?"

"We're worried about you. You've been through a lot." Cobb replied.

"If I wasn't ok, I'd let you know. You don't have to keep bugging me about it." Ariadne sighed.

"We know that, but it doesn't hurt to show we care."

"I know. I just hate being weak like this. I can do things too. You don't need to focus all of your attention on me. We have a job to think about. My injuries don't matter anymore."

Cobb nodded and smiled, earning a curious look from Ariadne. Cobb looked into the rearview mirror and caught Miles' smirk.

"What?"

"You're so stubborn." Cobb chuckled lightly and Ariadne grinned. Cobb's smile faded and he shot a glance to Arthur. Ariadne followed his gaze and frowned.

"I'll talk to him." She whispered.

"He feels the same way you know." Cobb nodded towards Arthur and Ariadne sighed.

"I know. But I need my space too." Ariadne said with finality. Cobb new the conversation was over and closed his eyes, ready for a decent night's sleep.

"Alright here we are." Miles' voice woke up everyone half an hour later.

"Finally. I was starting to lose feeling in my legs." Ariadne grumbled.

"Sorry." Yusuf apologized, knowing there really wasn't anything he could have done about the space in the back seat.

"Alright, let's get some rest and we'll meet up in the morning to start working." Arthur told everyone with authority. Everyone nodded, too tired to argue or complain. They trudged off into their rooms and soon the whole house was silent.

Arthur yawned and started to change, taking off his dress pants, taking off his shirt, leaving him in his boxers, and sliding under the covers quickly.

He heard soft footsteps outside his door and a soft, uncertain knock caused him to climb out of bed, frustrated. He opened the door slowly and glanced out, spotting Ariadne standing there.

"Hey." She whispered.

* * *

**So what did you think? Things are going to get intense pretty soon...that I can assure you...but be patient. I still have a few filler chapters because of my writer's block, so you'll have to wait, but we'll get there soon enough...also, I was planning on doing a last chapter then an epilogue...what do you think? Review please!**


	41. Into Our Midst

**Hey everyone! Glad you all liked the last chapter and the little "fight" between Arthur and Ariadne...I mean I can totally understand her. I love being taken care of and whatnot, but there does come a point where you feel smothered and annoyed by it. So I figured, why not have Ariadne snap at him for it. It does happen after all. So with that said, here is the next chapter...I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for all the reviews! Keep reviewing! It makes me happy! :D **

**Nope...Inception isn't mine...I've said it about 40 times already...don't know if I need to repeat it...**

* * *

"Hey." Arthur replied, watching Ariadne warily.

"Can I, uh, come in?" Ariadne asked and Arthur nodded, stepping aside to allow her entrance. She walked in slowly, looking around and taking in his room.

Arthur remained silent, allowing Ariadne to be the first to speak. She wanted space, to be treated like an adult without being babied, and he was doing just that. She walked to his bed and turned to look at him before sitting down.

Arthur's face remained expressionless. He watched her as she fiddled with her tank top and looked into his eyes.

"Arthur, I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to snap at you, but you have to see my side." Ariadne began and Arthur leaned against the door, a good five feet away from her.

She paused and bit her lip, thinking about what to say next. It wasn't completely her fault. The whole team was treating her like a child and she was getting fed up with it. She understood that they just wanted to keep her safe, to make sure she was ok, but having them constantly checking up on her and asking her if she was ok was hitting a nerve. She was used to being on her own. Being independent. She had to teach herself how to be her own person after she left for college and once she did, she never went back to her old self.

The reminder that she used to be so timid and co-dependent made her cringe and she immediately gained the courage to tell Arthur just how she was feeling. Sitting up straighter and looking Arthur straight in the eye, she inhaled.

"Arthur, I don't need to be watched over. I can take care of myself." Ariadne began.

"And look what happened." Arthur cut in, earning a glare from Ariadne.

"It was a freak accident. We didn't know any of that was going to happen. I was taken by surprise. And with more training I could be better at taking care of myself." Ariadne reasoned.

Arthur stiffened. "Why can't you just let me protect you? I want to take care of you Ari."

"Because I don't want to be weak. I don't want to be the girl who always needs protecting. You can't always protect me Arthur. Things happen. I need my space too. You know about my past and you know that being independent is something that's a part of me now. I can't go back to being that passive and meek girl I was before I went to college. I've changed and I want to stay how I am."

"I'm not telling you to change." Arthur whispered, looking down.

"But by trying to keep me under your wing, under all of your wings, you're telling me that you don't want me to be myself. You want me to give in and let you guys do all the work. I won't do that. You know it." Ariadne pleaded, trying to get through to Arthur.

"I know. You're stubborn." Arthur quietly said, searching her face.

Ariadne smiled. "Yes I am. But Arthur, you have to trust me. Let me take care of myself. If I need help, I'll ask. I know you're not a chauvinist, but right now you're sounding like one. A woman can do many things, and I can take care of myself. I may be a little broken right now."

"A little? Ari, look at yourself." Arthur cut her off and Ariadne rolled her eyes.

"I do Arthur! I see what happened to me everyday! I feel it! The pain just doesn't go away because I don't think about it. I am reminded constantly that bad things can happen and we can't control that!" Ariadne shrieked and Arthur pushed himself off of the door and stepped closer to Ariadne.

She watched him warily, knowing that her injuries were a touchy subject. More so for him than for her. She understood the dangers and risks with the job, but she didn't understand that Arthur was worried about her. She couldn't comprehend why someone could care so much about her.

"I can't lose you." Arthur finally said and Ariadne looked up at him in shock.

"You're not going to lose me." Ariadne assured him, reaching out for him. He moved to the bed and kneeled down in front of her. She took his face in her hands and smoothed back his hair.

"You don't know that. I've seen what happens when things go horribly wrong. People get hurt, sometimes they die. I don't want to see that happened to you. I don't want to turn into Cobb." Arthur admitted. Ariadne continued to stare at him in shock. She couldn't believe the words that were coming out of his mouth.

"Arthur. Look at me." She ordered and his eyes met hers. "You're not going to turn into Cobb. You're different. You're the Point Man. You know the risks and you know when to stop. We're not going to get lost in our dreams and I'm not going to die on a job. Trust me."

"You can't know that. Accidents happen all the time. It's already happened to you once." Arthur pointed out.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean it's going to happen every time or all the time. Give me my space. Trust that I can take care of myself and when I need protecting, you'll be there and I'll let you. But right now I don't need to be pestered with questions about how I'm feeling. I just need your support and encouragement." Ariadne whispered to him.

Arthur sighed, knowing this is a battle that wouldn't be won. He closed his eyes and stayed there in silence before looking back up at her.

"Fine. But if there's any gunfire, I want you right by me, behind me, whatever. I don't want you involved with any of that yet. We'll train you in self-defense, but that's it. Ok?" Arthur negotiated.

Ariadne nodded, figuring that if they compromised it would be better for them. Arthur smiled and stood up, gently pushing Ariadne back on the bed as he did so. He carefully crawled onto the bed and leaned down to kiss her.

"Oh, and you better let the guys know because I'm tired of them acting like I'm going to break if they even look at me. They know just as well as you do that I'm fully capable of holding my own. Ask Cobb, if it weren't for me, we'd be stuck in limbo." Ariadne defiantly said, pushing Arthur away carefully as she spoke.

Arthur chuckled. "Alright." He said before kissing her softly. She sighed into the kiss and gently tangled her fingers in his hair, pulling him closer.

"Are you staying in here tonight?" Arthur asked between kissed. Ariadne grunted in response, causing Arthur to smirk. "I take that as a yes."

"Just shut up and kiss me." Ariadne grumbled, impatient with him.

"Easy." Arthur said, his voice hazed with lust, when her movements became rougher. "Not tonight Ari." He croaked, gently rolling to her side and kissing her.

She pouted at him but knew he was right. Now was not the right time and there were too many things to be worrying about right now. Besides, movement was quite difficult for her. Her ribs still ached and her wrist was in a cast. She let out an exasperated sigh and crawled under the covers with Arthur. She really hated being injured right now.

Sensing her frustration, Arthur turned to look at her and smiled. She rolled her eyes, but smiled back. She could see in his eyes that this was frustrating and difficult for him too, whether or not he wanted to admit it to her.

"We should talk about it before Ari." Arthur finally said as he stroked her hair and she nodded.

"I know."

"Things get complicated. And if we have an accident, we're left with a responsibility for the rest of our lives."

"I've always wanted kids."

"But do you want them now?" Arthur asked, raising his eyebrow. She paused and shook her head.

"No. Things are…difficult right now. Too dangerous. Do you want kids?"

"Of course. But I'd like to be stable and not have to worry about someone trying to kill me first. And I'd like to be able to call you my wife before we decide on having kids."

"You know, if we use protection…"

"Protection doesn't always work. All of us were 'accidents' or 'unplanned' pregnancies in my family. My parents didn't really want kids, but when it happened they had to deal with it." Arthur shrugged.

Ariadne's mouth was left open. "But that doesn't mean it won't work for us. You think the worse of everything. Can't you think that everything will be fine?"

"Why are you so persistent?" Arthur asked tilting his head, genuinely curious.

"Why are you so reluctant?" She shot back and Arthur stiffened, his gaze hardening.

She was getting tired of all the pent up sexual tension between them and she couldn't help but want to sleep with him. It was Arthur after all. She was sure he was the one she wanted to spend her life with, so she didn't understand why it would matter. She did know that despite it being too soon to be thinking about marriage or kids with Arthur, it felt right.

"Can we just drop it?" Arthur replied. Ariadne opened her mouth and quickly shut it, trying to understand what just happened.

"If you really want to wait, I will wait." Ariadne relented, knowing that Arthur did have a point. He just had to be the perfect gentleman, even when it may seem inconvenient for them. She just didn't understand what was holding Arthur back. He obviously wanted to give in, but there were more than just his morals from holding him back, she just wasn't sure what. And she didn't think he'd tell her anytime soon.

Arthur thought for a moment. "Let's leave this open for discussion?" He asked, giving Ariadne some satisfaction and yawning.

"Just like kids will be left open for discussion?" She teased.

"Yes. As well marriage. It's kind of soon to be talking about kids and marriage anyway." He said, closing his eyes.

"I love you Arthur." Ariadne whispered, curling into him and burying her face in his chest.

"I love you too Ari." He kissed the top of her head and the two of them fell asleep, new doors being opened and new things being opened to talk about.

* * *

**So there you have it! What did you think? I know the whole marriage and kids conversation is a little soon, but I figured I could go ahead and bring it up. They aren't seriously discussing it anyways..I hope it doesn't seem rushed either. Plus the kids conversation is realistic. I've known a lot of people who have had "accidents" and now they're parents...it can happen, and I think Arthur is the type of person to think things through...haha...anyways, let me know what you think! Oh and we're getting on the stretch of the finish. I'm writing the last couple of chapters now as we speak! YAY! :D I can't wait to wrap this up and start a new one soon! Thanks again for reading! Review please!**

**4/10/11 Updated chapter! I added a few sentences here and there and tried to make Arthur seem a little more vulnerable about sleeping with Ariadne...  
**


	42. Edge of Desire

**Alright, important note! I updated the previous chapter. I decided to tweak some things a little bit, so if you feel like you should, go back and read it. If not, then keep reading! On another note, I updated! I tried to last night and this morning but Fanfiction was being stupid...so here is the next chapter. Let me just say this, I fantasize about guys cooking for me all the time ;) Anyways, hope you like this chapter, and I'm telling you now, we're heading in on the homestretch. Just a few more chapters until we're done! WOO! Thank you all for sticking with me! Enjoy and leave a review!**

**Not. Mine. End of story.**

* * *

Cobb was the first to wake up. He had heard Ariadne leave her room before he fell asleep and he hoped it meant that she went to talk to Arthur. Things needed to be worked out before they started getting to work. Distractions were not an option. He crawled out of bed and quietly made his way to the kitchen. His stomach was growling and it wasn't until then that he realized he hadn't eaten in days.

He started to search through Arthur's cabinets, surprised to find oatmeal, cereal, and granola bars. Cobb wished Arthur had more food, but he knew Arthur only kept things that wouldn't go bad over long periods of time. Deciding to do something nice for the rest of the team, he grabbed his jacket, wallet, and keys and left to buy some groceries for a nice breakfast.

* * *

Miles blinked slowly and yawned, taking in his surroundings. He looked around and noticed that Cobb wasn't around. Frowning, he stood up, stretched and walked into the living room, hoping to find Cobb somewhere. He looked around and was disappointed to find that Cobb wasn't anywhere in the house.

When he heard the door click he became alert and cautiously made his way to the door, ready to attack if necessary. The door opened quietly and Cobb entered with his arms full of groceries.

"Good God Dom! You scared me!" Miles hissed and held his hand against his chest.

"Sorry." Cobb muttered, unused to being called by his first name. Very few people called him by his first name and it always caught him off guard when someone did. Mal was usually the only one who would call him Dom.

"Where did you go at this early hour?" Miles asked, looking at the bags Cobb was holding.

"To get food. Arthur doesn't have much and I wanted to do something nice for everyone before we have to get to work." Cobb carefully placed the bags on the counter and started pulling things out.

"You know how to cook?" Miles teased.

Cobb glared at Miles playfully. "Of course. I learned a thing or two from Mal. And my mother used to cook with me all the time."

"Just don't poison us." Miles smirked and sat down on the stool, watching his son-in-law.

"Ah, so Eames leaves and the next Englishman takes over picking on people. I'm not sure how I feel about that." Cobb shot back, causing Miles to laugh.

"Ah, well us Brits got to stick together."

"The others aren't up yet?" Cobb asked.

"No. Still asleep as far as I can tell. I'm surprised usually Arthur is the first to rise."

"Yeah, well Ariadne went to his room last night."

"What? Are you sure?" Miles asked, his protective father side coming out.

"Relax. I trust Arthur. He wouldn't force her to do anything she doesn't want to do."

"It's not Ariadne I'm worried about. It's Arthur. She is quite the firecracker. She's definitely the opposite of him."

"Arthur's still Arthur. Nothing would happen that he didn't want to."

"You know, you shouldn't talk about people when they're not there." Arthur's voice came from the door and the two of them turned, grinning.

"Well now that you're here we can poke fun at you all we want." Cobb shot back and Arthur shook his head.

"You really didn't have to go out and get food. I could have done that." Arthur said, helping Cobb take out the groceries.

"I wanted to."

"Can you even cook?"

"Why does everyone doubt my cooking abilities?" Cobb asked, offended.

"Because we've never seen you cook before." Arthur replied.

"I'll show you guys." Cobb grumbled.

The two men in the room watched Cobb, amused. It wasn't long until Yusuf came waddling into the room, rubbing his eyes.

"Yusuf. Sleep well?" Miles asked cheerfully.

"Yes. It was nice." Yusuf replied, eyeing Cobb warily. "What's going on?"

"Cobb is going to cook us breakfast." Arthur stated, a hint of playfulness in his voice.

"You can cook?" Yusuf asked skeptically.

"Why is everyone asking that? Yes I can cook. Now shut up or you won't get any food when it's done." Cobb snapped. The three men watching chuckled quietly.

"Where's Ariadne?" Miles asked, turning to Arthur. Arthur sobered up and looked at Miles.

"She's sleeping."

"I take it last night went well then." Cobb grinned suggestively, teasing Arthur.

"We talked." Arthur stated coolly, not taking Cobb's teasing.

"I bet you did." Yusuf chimed in.

"You guys, stop being inappropriate. We talked. She was tired and fell asleep. You both know that's not how I do things anyway." Arthur sighed, rubbing his face in exasperation.

"And that's bloody well ok." Miles patted Arthur on the back, smiling at him.

"Eames would say other wise." Arthur pointed out.

"Eames has different morals then you. Although, he might make an exception if he were in your situation." Miles said thoughtfully.

"It's Eames. I doubt it." Arthur said, rolling his eyes.

"Yes, and this is Ariadne. She tends to be respected. I've never seen her be disrespected by men, of course she'd probably teach them a lesson if they tried something with her. Women do give her a harder time, but when doesn't a woman get a hard time from another woman?" Miles replied.

Arthur smiled, thinking about Ariadne and her spunkiness and the way she carries herself. Miles was right. Arthur had never seen Eames disrespect her or do anything inappropriate to her, aside from the kiss in the bedroom, but Ariadne had assured him it was a prank on him. He still wasn't too happy about that.

"I'm going to go check up on her." Arthur suddenly said, leaving the group. He heard Cobb defending himself as Yusuf questioned his cooking, his voice fading as he walked down the hall.

He opened the door slowly and quietly, peering in. Ariadne was sitting up and stretching, her shirt rising a little, exposing the soft, flat skin of her stomach. Arthur felt his ears heat up and looked away. His throat suddenly went dry and he had to force himself not to think about what could have happened last night. After calming himself down, he gently knocked and opened the door.

"You're awake." Arthur smiled as he shut the door silently behind him and took in her ruffled appearance.

"Yeah. I haven't been able to sleep that well in weeks." Ariadne sighed, glad that she was able to sleep through the night without any pain. Of course she had the pain medications to thank for that.

Arthur studied Ariadne carefully, looking for any signs that she was lying to him about how she was really feeling. She held his gaze confidently, not shrinking back from his intensity.

"The others are out in the kitchen." Arthur finally said, his eyes not leaving hers. She nodded, standing her ground.

"We should head out into the kitchen. Cobb's cooking us breakfast." He continued, their gazes locked.

"Ok." Ariadne replied, finally looking away as she stretched. She yawned and stood up, but stopped in front of him, stepping up on her toes and kissing him softly. Arthur gladly reciprocated the kiss and allowed Ariadne to be rougher.

She started breathing heavily as air became harder to inhale. Arthur pulled away, his breathing labored and his eyes shut tight. He felt Ariadne kiss him again and pull him towards the bed.

They tumbled down, Arthur catching himself so as not to crush Ariadne with his weight. She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down again. Arthur's hands started to get restless and soon they were under Ariadne's shirt, itching upwards.

When she flinched he stopped at pulled away, observing her face. She tried to hide the pain that she was feeling, but knew that Arthur could see past it.

He sighed and cleared his throat. "You're in pain. We can't do this now." Arthur's voice was husky and Ariadne bit her lip.

"What happened to waiting?" She teased.

Arthur rolled onto his knees and sat next to Ariadne, allowing her to sit up. She looked at him curiously.

"I never told you why I decided to not go far with Chloe or you." Arthur stated and she cocked her head sideways.

He sighed. "When I was a junior in high school my girlfriend and I had a pregnancy scare." Arthur began. Ariadne looked at him in shock.

"She wasn't on the pill and we relied solely on condoms." Arthur recalled. "It turns out some of the guys wanted to pull a prank on me and poked holes through a few of them. We didn't find out until after. For three weeks we were convinced that she was pregnant. She even went to the doctor to make sure."

"Arthur I didn't know." Ariadne interrupted. He held up his hand and shook his head.

"I've never told anyone this because it was one of the scariest moments in my life. The fear that I was going to be a father when I wasn't ready was too overwhelming and I felt so out of control. Ever since then I just chose not to rush into anything, especially sex." Arthur said and Ariadne nodded.

She looked down at her hands, processing everything Arthur had just told her. When she looked up she saw his eyes soften.

"It's not that I don't want to. I really, really want to…I just I'm not ready to change how I do things yet." He quietly said.

"Ok." Ariadne replied. "And I really, really want to too." She grinned and stood up, waiting for him to follow her to the kitchen.

"Ah, look who finally decided to wake up." Miles winked at Ariadne when he saw her enter the kitchen. Ariadne smiled at him.

"I needed the sleep." She admitted, her gaze turning to the tall man moving around the kitchen quickly. "What are you making Cobb?"

"Omelets." Cobb grunted as he searched for the knives. Ariadne raised her eyebrow at him, opening her mouth to say something, but Cobb cut her off.

"And before you ask about my ability to cook like everyone else, yes, I do know how." Cobb bitterly said and Ariadne giggled.

"I wasn't going to ask that. I was going to ask if you wanted any help." Ariadne innocently replied, slowly walking to a drawer and opening it, pulling out a knife.

Cobb sighed and nodded. "If you're up to it."

Ariadne glared at him, silently warning him not to be treating her differently because she was injured. Cobb nodded quickly, in apology.

"Right, uh, just cut up the vegetables and put them in a bowl. I'll crack the eggs and mix them and when I'm ready I'll let you know so you can bring me the cut up veggies." Cobb told her and she nodded, quickly getting to work.

Cutting the vegetables proved to be a harder task than she expected. Her cast kept getting in the way and holding the vegetables still was hard. After a few minutes of frustrated grunting, Arthur came and helped her, holding the tomato still while she sliced. She looked up at Arthur and smiled even though she was frustrated.

About an hour later the breakfast was done and they were all sitting around the table talking happily. Ariadne took the first bite and her eyes widened in shock.

"Oh my gosh! Cobb these are delicious!" Ariadne exclaimed and the others took a bite, their reactions similar to that of Ariadne.

"I told you I could cook." Cobb replied smugly.

"Well, Mal did teach you well." Miles quietly said and the room grew silent.

"Was this her recipe?" Ariadne spoke up, wanting to break the silence.

"Yes. When she was pregnant with Philippa all she would eat was omelets for breakfast and only if they were cooked a certain way. It just became a habit after that." Cobb replied, his eyes distant as he thought about his late wife. Wanting to change the sad atmosphere, Ariadne spoke up again.

"Have you guys heard from Eames yet?" She asked.

Cobb and Arthur shared a look. "Not yet."

"Isn't that a bad thing?" Ariadne asked, worried.

"Not necessarily." Arthur simply replied.

"Well what do we do?" Ariadne asked, her voice rising in pitch.

"We wait and continue to work." Cobb replied, nonchalant.

"Eames can take care of himself." Arthur assured Ariadne.

"If he doesn't call in the next couple of hours we need to call him." Ariadne said and Cobb and Arthur sighed.

"Alright." Cobb replied.

* * *

**Alright, things are going to get complicated...and soon after will be the ending...I decided to do an epilogue too! What did you think of the chapter? I had to poke fun at Cobb, but just imagining him cooking was too funny and adorable to pass up so I had to do it! :D Review please!**


	43. Fight Another Day

**This chapter leads up to some drama! :O Hope you all enjoy it! I'm almost done with this story, just 6 or 7 more chapters (including the epilogue) Let me know what you think! Review!**

**Mr. Nolan owns Inception.**

* * *

Ariadne was growing restless. There wasn't anything for her to do and she didn't like it. She began pacing around the room, stopping behind each person and watching them over their shoulder.

"Ariadne, I really hate it when people watch me work from behind me." Arthur sighed and turned to her.

"I'm sorry, but I'm getting tired of just sitting here and not having anything to do." Ariadne complained.

Cobb looked up and smiled knowingly. They were a lot alike, and it was uncanny to him. Arthur had to deal with another version of him and he was impressed that Arthur was able to deal with two stubborn architects and friends.

"Relax." Cobb finally said. Ariadne grumbled and stalked towards Cobb, plopping down on the chair next to him and running her fingers through her hair. She allowed herself to look around the room and take in its features.

Arthur had good taste in architecture. He had a distinct style that was all him, but she approved.

"Can't I do something? Anything. I need to do something." Ariadne whined, giving Cobb puppy eyes.

"I do have something for you, but you might not like it." Cobb sighed, staring at her in the eyes.

"What?" She asked enthusiastically.

"You can make lunch." Cobb smiled sheepishly and watched her expression.

She frowned and crossed her arms, not happy with his suggestion, but she knew that it was something that needed to be done. If no one cooked or mentioned food, no one would notice. Their eating habits were unhealthy. Most of them wouldn't eat if they weren't told to. She sighed and nodded.

"Alright. But don't make this a habit. We all have to take turns cooking." Ariadne reasoned, uncrossing her arms and going to the fridge.

"Deal." Cobb grinned and turned back to his work.

"Oh, and Arthur. You're cooking dinner tonight." Ariadne told him and he shrugged.

"Fine." Arthur absentmindedly replied.

Ariadne began to search the fridge for something to make. Cobb had made omelets, but she couldn't think of what to make for lunch. Sighing she closed the fridge and dug through the few bags that were still on the countertop. She pulled out penne noodles and grinned. She was used to making pasta anyway. It was quick and easy.

About an hour later Ariadne had dragged the men to the kitchen table and forced them to sit down and enjoy lunch together without work hindering some bonding time. Yusuf grumbled, wanting to perfect his sedative, but he was more afraid of Ariadne's glare than limbo at the moment. He nodded in consent and finally joined the group.

"Don't you dare try to eat fast either. I know how you guys are." Ariadne warned as she took her seat next to Arthur. Arthur sighed and shot a look at Cobb, who shrugged in return.

"Have you heard from Eames yet?" Yusuf asked. Cobb's head snapped up in alarm.

"No." Cobb pulled out his phone and frowned.

"Call him." Ariadne ordered, worry evident as she crinkled her brow.

Cobb nodded and dialed Eames' number, putting it on speaker so the others could hear. Ariadne and Arthur scooted closer to Cobb and leaned forward, waiting anxiously.

The line kept ringing and Cobb cursed. He quickly redialed and slammed the table when it went straight to voicemail.

"He must have turned off his phone." Yusuf quietly said, silently hoping nothing happened to the cocky Forger.

"Maybe." Ariadne whispered, her voice quivering.

"You don't think they got him do you?" Arthur asked Cobb, concerned.

"I don't know." Cobb ran his fingers through his hair anxiously and looked up at Arthur.

"He'll be fine." Arthur said, more to convince himself than the others. Ariadne frowned and looked down at her hands, rubbing them together nervously.

* * *

Eames cursed when his phone began to ring. He was already in a tight pinch and his phone only caused more trouble. Hitting the silence button, he looked down and turned off his phone, knowing that the others would be angry with him for not getting in contact with them sooner. In fact he knew they would be worrying now, especially because he didn't answer.

He sighed and turned his attention back to the scene in front of him. When he landed on Los Angeles he certainly didn't think things would turn out the way they were. The chaos that was now going on in front of him made him speechless.

"Excuse me sir, but we have to speak to you." A police officer said and Eames nodded, following the officer.

Eames remained speechless, thinking over the events of the day. He had landed a few hours ago and decided to get some rest before heading over to the restaurant he knew that Browning was going to be having dinner at with Fischer.

(A few hours previous)

After a nice nap, Eames quickly got ready and hailed a cab, giving the driver directions to the nice restaurant. When he arrived there he asked for a table closer to Fischer and Browning's. He wanted to be in ears reach of the table in order to hear what they were talking about.

To his dismay, Browning managed to keep his voice too low for him to hear. But he could hear the anger and frustration in Fischer's voice when he talked back.

At that moment someone walked in front of Eames, blocking his view. He heard a few screams and a gunshot.

Eames scrambled up and moved aside, leaving the room and heading outside. He sat on a bench outside and hit his head repeatedly, cursing louder each time. A few minutes later chaos took over and people were scrambling out of the restaurant while medics and policemen were trying to push their way in.

His phone started ringing at this inconvenient time.

* * *

Ariadne had stood up and began pacing the room. Arthur gently reached a hand out and pulled her to him. He pulled her gently onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Stop pacing, it's make me nervous." He whispered into her hair. She shifted, angry.

"How can you be so calm? Eames hasn't called! Something could be wrong. He could be hurt!" Ariadne's voice raised in pitch and volume as she turned to face Arthur.

"I know. But worrying and shouting isn't going to do anything. We just have to wait it out." Arthur replied, knowing that his words wouldn't do much, but they needed to be said.

"And we're all the way here in London. There's nothing we can do here. If he's hurt or captured, we'd have no way of knowing." Ariadne shrieked and Cobb walked towards her.

"Ariadne, why are you freaking out? You're usually so calm and put together. What's going on?" He gently asked.

"I'm just tired. I think the pain is getting to me." Ariadne admitted, avoiding both Arthur and Cobb's gazes.

"You're in pain? Why didn't you tell me?" Arthur asked.

"Because I want to push through it!" She snapped. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap. Maybe I should go take some pain medicine." Ariadne replied as she stood up and brushed some hair out of her face.

Arthur nodded and stood up too, turning to Cobb. Cobb raised his eyebrow at him and Arthur shrugged.

"You know more about women and relationships than I do. How am I supposed to know what's going on?" He hissed, careful not to let Ariadne hear.

"Talk to her." Cobb reasoned. "It's the only way relationships can work." He was cut off by his phone ringing.

Yusuf rushed into the room and Ariadne turned around quickly, forgetting about getting her medication. Cobb hesitated before answering it, afraid of the news he would receive.

"Eames?"

"Cobb!" Eames frantically said.

"Eames, what's going on?" Cobb asked, putting his phone on speaker for the others. Ariadne reached for Arthur's hand and squeezed it. Arthur, sensing her uneasiness, laced his fingers with hers and gave her a gentle reassuring squeeze.

"We have a bit of a problem." Eames replied, causing everyone in the room to freeze.

* * *

**What did you think? This chapter is setting things up! I'll be uploading more frequently now. I'm practically done, writing the epilogue as we speak. So leave a review and let me know what you think!**


	44. The Coming Night

**Oh man, getting closer to the end. And here some things are revealed! What's going on? Read and find out! Don't forget to review! I haven't gotten very many these last few chapters. Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading and sticking with me for so long, I can tell you that we're getting closer to the end.**

**Inception belongs to Chris Nolan and only him...**

* * *

"What's wrong? What happened?" Ariadne's voice cracked.

"Browning's dead." Eames replied. Ariadne gasped and shot a shocked look at Arthur and Cobb. Both had expressionless faces and Ariadne frowned.

"What? How?" Yusuf asked.

They heard Eames sigh. "I was in the restaurant and some guy just walks up to him and shoots him. I have no idea who the guy was, but I have a feeling it was Cobol's men."

"Are you sure?" Cobb asked.

"It was their technique. He managed to sneak out unnoticed. How? I don't know." There was a loud bang and some cursing and the others waited for Eames to continue.

"I should have followed him out." Eames quietly said.

"It's better that you didn't. If it was Cobol, they would have taken you." Arthur replied and Cobb nodded.

"He's right. Get back here as soon as possible. We need to get going again. We're no longer safe." Cobb told Eames before ending the call.

"Arthur, get a hold of Saito. If it was Cobol's men, we're in trouble. It means that Saito's men didn't make it."

Arthur nodded and turned to leave the room, but a tight grip on his hand kept him in place. Ariadne was standing in shock.

"Ari?" Arthur asked.

"What if they already know we're here? They could be waiting for us to leave." Ariadne whispered, her face paling. "They want me. They're going to come back for me."

"Listen to me." Arthur grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "We're going to keep you safe."

"You don't understand Arthur. They're cruel. They will get you first, then me." Ariadne told him as Cobb moved to stand next to her.

"We'll put up a fight. We have dealt with them before." Cobb assured her.

"Yes, but they're angry now. You rescued me before they could get any answers out of me. They will want revenge." Ariadne shook her head, fighting back the tears.

"We have to keep moving. It's the only thing that's good for us right now." Cobb said and left to gather his things. Arthur pulled Ariadne with him to the other room, wanting to keep an eye on her while he made the call to Saito.

She crept in after Arthur, collapsing onto the bed and burying her head in the pillow. She started to think about what was going to happen to them. If Cobol was really behind everything, they were in danger no matter where they went. Browning's death was evidence of that.

"Yes, Mr. Saito." Arthur's voice broke her out of her reverie. She sat up and hugged the pillow to her chest, listening to Arthur's side of the conversation intently.

"Were there any difficulties with Cobol? We've just received news from Eames saying that Browning was shot and he believes it was Cobol." Arthur informed him.

Ariadne was growing anxious, wanting to hear what Saito had to say. She motioned for Arthur to put him on speaker and he nodded, setting the phone down on the bed and moving to sit next to her.

"I'm grieved to inform you that my men were killed. We're still trying to figure out how it happened. We were completely discreet, but they knew we were coming. Are you sure you guys weren't followed?" Saito asked.

"I'm positive. Unless…" Arthur trailed off.

"Unless what Arthur?" Saito was growing impatient and irritated. He had lost men and it could have been because information was being withheld from him.

"Are you sure all of the nurses in the hospital were hired by your company? If not, there's a chance that Cobol sent a few nurses undercover to follow us." Arthur slowly said, trying to remember if he saw anything unusual.

"Oh my…last week I was out of town and I was informed that a few nurses were hired without my consent. I will get their names for you." Saito quickly said. Arthur and Ariadne could hear shuffling and they looked at each other worriedly.

Saito was shouting in Japanese and a few minutes later Saito's breathless voice filled the air.

"Arthur?"

"I'm still here." Arthur replied.

"The nurses that were hired were in charge of Ariadne's room. Their names are Cecilia Mardin and Victoria Bradshaw. They are not at the hospital anymore. Took off after you guys did. They took Ariadne's file with them."

"What?" Arthur shouted and stood up, taking in Ariadne's frightened appearance.

"Calm down Arthur." Saito calmly said.

"I can't calm down. We're all at risk. They have Ariadne's information! We need to get to Cobol and end things now! If not they're going to be coming after us for the rest of our lives." Arthur was shouting and pacing the room.

Cobb rushed in and took in Arthur's frantic appearance and Ariadne's pale face and looked at them questioningly.

"We can get through this. You're Point Man. Do your job and work from there." Saito replied and hung up.

"What happened?" Cobb asked, trying to calm his Point Man.

"Call Eames! Now!" Arthur shouted.

Yusuf, hearing all the shouting, also wandered into the room and immediately became worried when he saw the usually calm Point Man pacing angrily and losing his cool. He also noticed that Ariadne was extremely pale and speechless.

"I'll get you some water." Yusuf softly told Ariadne and left the room.

Arthur turned his attention back to Ariadne. And tried to comfort her. She sat motionless, not taking in her surroundings.

"What happened Arthur?" Cobb asked again.

"The nurses in charge of Ariadne's room were most likely Cobol agents undercover. Saito says they were hired without his permission last week when he was out of town for business. They took Ariadne's file and left after we did." Arthur said, his voice still uneasy.

"Shit." Cobb cursed. "But they didn't even know we were heading to Japan until we rescued Ariadne. If they were hired a week before anything happened, how do they tie in?"

"They probably were trying to spy on Saito. They might have found out something about his involvement or connection with Ariadne and the Inception." Arthur replied.

"And when we brought Ariadne it confirmed what they thought and they took the opportunity to keep an eye on her." Cobb sighed.

Yusuf ran into the room with a glass of water and handed it to Ariadne. She gingerly grabbed it from him and took a small sip. Arthur and Cobb watched her carefully, worried that this stress would be too much for her body.

"I guess it is a good thing we left when we did though. If we had stayed longer, they would have tried to poison her or something." Cobb reasoned and Arthur nodded.

"Call Eames." Arthur quietly said, his composure slowly coming back.

Cobb nodded. "What should I tell him? Are we staying here or do we have to leave again?"

"We need to stay for now. When Eames gets here we'll decide what to do next, but it's not safe to stay in one place for longer than a few days. We have to keep moving."

"They'll be able to track us. Especially with Ariadne's file." Cobb said. "Did you put all of your information on there?" Cobb turned to her and tried to get her attention. She looked up at him slowly.

"Arthur said it would be fine to put my information on there, but I faked most of it. I was trying to be safe." Ariadne whispered and Arthur shot her a proud look.

"That should delay them for a little bit." Arthur replied.

"Alright, I'll tell Eames to meet us here and we'll figure out our next move after that." Cobb said and left the room.

"Ariadne dear, look at me." Yusuf gently told her. She did as she was told and Yusuf frowned. "Alright, drink your water and take your pain medication. Get some rest. And by rest I mean sleep. Your body is going to freak out with all this stress. You need to calm down."

Ariadne shivered as she thought about Cobol coming for her but she nodded and reached for the glass. Arthur handed her the pills and she swallowed quickly and laid back. Yusuf nodded and left the room.

"Everything will be ok." Arthur tried to reassure her, but she shook her head.

"You don't know that. You can't promise it. Tell me the truth Arthur." She said.

"I don't know what's going to happen, and it could be very, very bad." Arthur sighed, knowing that she wanted the truth.

Ariadne shivered again and crawled under the blankets, pulling them up to her chin and closing her eyes.

"You should help Cobb." She finally whispered.

"I can stay with you if you want." Arthur replied.

"No. I'll be fine." She lied. Arthur nodded and stood up.

"If you need anything at all, we'll be in the living room." Arthur told her and kissed her forehead, leaving her to her thoughts.

* * *

**So what did you think? Some intense stuff will be happening soon! Review and let me know what you think!**


	45. Falls Apart

**I was going to upload this chapter yesterday, but I didn't have time and I know Fanfiction was being stupid again. So I decided to wait. So here it is...things get intense in this chapter! Let me know what you think! Leave a review too! I was glad to see more reviews for the last chapter...there are 5 more chapters left...so I hope it will end well and you will enjoy it! Thanks for reading and sticking with me! **

**I own the plot, but not Inception. The genius Christopher Nolan owns it.**

* * *

Ariadne waited until Arthur closed the door and left before letting tears fall. She was afraid and she knew that Cobol was relentless. They would try to get what they wanted no matter what the cost and that scared her. She knew firsthand what they were capable of. Not only firsthand, but also Browning's death proved that.

She began to sob and pulled the covers over her head. Normally she wasn't one for crying, but she was scared out of her mind and she didn't want to see anything happen to her teammates, her friends.

She calmed herself down enough to fall asleep, knowing that her body was screaming at her for not getting enough rest and she could feel the pain and soreness slowly taking over her senses. As she drifted off to sleep she felt the bed shift and warm arms wrap around her.

* * *

When Cobb told Eames what they had found out from Saito he nearly flipped. Eames was shouting obscenities before calming down and asking what they were going to do.

"Meet us here. We want to stay together in case they try to come after any of us."

"I'll be there as soon as I can, but the bloody flights take longer than I want. Just be on the lookout for me and don't shoot me when I try to come in." Eames warned.

"Call us when you're here so we know." Cobb chuckled and hung up, turning back to Arthur.

"He's on his way. Got the first flight out and should be here by morning." Cobb said and Arthur nodded.

"We have to be extra careful now." Arthur said. "Cobol could be here now."

Cobb let out an exasperated sigh. "How could we have been so reckless?"

"It's my fault. I was so caught up in…"

"It's not your fault. We were all worried. And she was our top priority anyways." Cobb cut Arthur off, not wanting him to beat himself up.

Arthur nodded slightly and gave his friend a small smile. He sat down on the chair and rubbed his face.

"Do you have any security cameras set up?" Yusuf asked as he wandered into the room.

Arthur sat up quickly. "Yes!" He rushed to a room, followed closely by Cobb and Yusuf. Cobb watched as Arthur entered a code and his bookcase slid open.

"Whoa." Yusuf muttered.

They walked inside the room and stood in awe as they saw all of the screens across the room. Arthur sat down at the desk and began typing quickly, turning on each security camera.

Cobb shook his head and grinned. Leave it to Arthur to have a security system this big in his house. He then turned his attention to the tiny screens going live and carefully looked for anything unusual.

"What's that." Cobb pointed at a screen. Arthur's head snapped up in alarm and he turned his gaze to the tiny object moving.

"They're already here." Arthur said in shock.

"Cobb, there's another security room in the guest bedroom. Go and set up the alarms and locks. We can't let them get in." Arthur ordered and Cobb nodded quickly exiting the room.

"What if they're already in the house. We haven't set up anything and they could have easily snuck in." Yusuf asked.

"Ariadne!" Arthur exclaimed and ran to the room, bursting open the door. His eyes widened as he saw the men they had rescued her from clamping their hands over her mouth and trying to keep her struggling form still. Rex, who Yusuf shot in the shoulder, seemed to be unfazed by his injury, which surprised Arthur. He then turned his gaze to Darryl. He had crutches and his knee was bandaged. Arthur smirked satisfactorily. He quickly turned his attention back to Ariadne

He could hear her muffled screams as she tried to escape and when she saw Arthur her eyes widened in panic.

Arthur pulled out his gun that he kept in his waistband and aimed it at the man trying to keep her still.

"Let her go." Arthur growled, catching the men's attention.

"Ah, look who decided to show up. The idiot who shot Darryl in the knee and watched as I got shot in the shoulder. And here we thought we'd be able to go unnoticed. It looks like you are a great Point Man after all." Rex sneered, tightening his grip on Ariadne.

Arthur stepped forward but Darryl pulled out a knife and held it at Ariadne's neck, stopping him in his tracks.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Darryl warned.

"Let her go." Arthur repeated, his jaw clenching and his grip getting tighter on his gun.

"You see, we can't. We need her. And our boss isn't too happy that you took her from us. Now let us go and we promise no one will get hurt." Rex replied menacingly.

Arthur turned the safety off and aimed at Darryl. He was the one with more of a threat and if he could take him down it wouldn't be hard to take down Rex.

Rex then pulled out a gun and held it against Ariadne's temple, causing Arthur to falter for a moment before bringing his gun down.

"Wise decision Arthur." Rex growled.

* * *

After watching Arthur run out of the room in panic, Yusuf rushed to get Cobb, something wasn't right.

"Cobb! We think they are already in the house. When I suggested the idea Arthur rushed to Ariadne's room. We need to get him back up now." Yusuf said, out of breath.

Cobb's expression went from relaxed to worried almost instantly. He pulled out his gun and headed towards the room.

"Wait. If they see us coming, we're no use." Yusuf said and Cobb nodded.

"Alright, you stay at the door, I'll go around and try to stop them at the window." Cobb told Yusuf.

"Be careful. There might be more of them outside." Yusuf quietly called and Cobb nodded, exiting the house.

Yusuf crept towards the door and peered in. He nearly gasped as he saw Ariadne held at gunpoint with a knife at her neck. Arthur was standing there helplessly and Yusuf wanted to do something.

When Cobb exited the house, he was attacked. He managed to shoot two of the three men after him, but the third beat him down and knocked him unconscious.

The man then dragged Cobb inside the house and tied him up to a chair. Deciding to search the house for the rest of the team, he quietly made his rounds and found Miles sleeping in a room. He took the older man and tied him up next to Cobb, hitting him when his eyes snapped open.

Smiling after successfully capturing two men, he saw Yusuf watching the scene in front of him. The man grinned and tapped him on the shoulder, knocking him out when he turned around. He dragged Yusuf in another chair and tied him up too.

* * *

Arthur didn't know what to do. He wasn't fast enough to take down both of them and rescue Ariadne. If he shot one, the other would harm Ariadne. The wheels in his head were turning, but he wasn't sure what to do. He needed back up, but he couldn't call for them.

"It looks like you're at a loss for what to do. It's alright, it doesn't matter anyway." Rex grinned wickedly and nodded.

Arthur felt arms wrap around his neck and pull him down. He quickly threw an elbow back and hit the man in the stomach, but the grip around his neck only got tighter.

"Tie him up. Leave him conscious. When the other's wake up, bring them in here. We'll give them a show." Rex ordered.

The man holding Arthur kneed him just below the diaphragm, causing the air to be knocked out of him. Arthur tumbled to the ground, trying to gasp for air. This allowed the man time to tie up Arthur and slam him onto a chair and tie him to that.

"You couldn't have just let us go easily. Now you're going to watch us with your lovely Architect here." Rex caressed Ariadne's cheek. She flinched away from him and earned a slap.

"It would be easier for you to just go with it." Rex growled.

Arthur's gaze hardened and Ariadne could see the hatred and worry in them. Tears started streaming down her face and Arthur wriggled, trying to get out of his binds. He remembered he had a knife hidden in his waistband, but he wasn't sure if he'd be able to reach it.

"Bring the other's in here now." Darryl told the third man. A few minutes later, the three other men were sitting next to Arthur, unconscious and oblivious of what was going on.

"When will they wake up?" Rex snapped.

"It won't be for a while. I hit them pretty hard." The third man said.

Rex scowled and moved to slam Ariadne on the bed. "Bring me the rope."

The other man left and came back quickly, scrambling to help tie Ariadne up to the bed. He bound her wrists tightly and brought her arms above her head and tied them to the bed.

"Ariadne!" Arthur screamed. Darryl slapped Arthur hard and Ariadne screamed.

"Arthur! Leave him alone!" She cried as she squirmed, trying to get out of her binds. It was useless though. She only received horrible rope burns around her wrist and her arm was getting rubbed raw from her cast. She could already feel the areas being rubbed together and where the rope was tied was starting to bleed.

Arthur held back the tears he could feel forming in his eyes. He had to be strong for her. Even as she stared at him in horror he had to be strong. No emotions. He had to remind himself not to show emotions to these horrible men.

"Everything will be ok. We're going to get out of this." Arthur told her calmly, earning a laugh from the Cobol men.

"Yeah. Keep telling her that." Darryl laughed, clutching his stomach.

"Look at me Ari. You'll be fine. Nothing's going to happen to you." Arthur said, ignoring the laughing men. He stared at her, serious and promising.

Ariadne nodded slightly, trying to convince herself that Arthur would be right. She was scared and hated that she was in this situation again.

Arthur only hoped that they could hold things off until Eames got there. He was the only way they'd be able to get out of this.

* * *

**Oh man! Cobol! Rex and Darryl are back! :O What's going to happen! You'll have to wait to find out...while you wait leave a review :) Thanks for reading!**


	46. Blitzkrieg

**I'm just gonna upload chapters when I feel like it, and since I'm close to the end, I may get another chapter up before midnight...but we'll see ;) Glad you all enjoyed the suspense...let me know what you think of this one! Thanks for reviewing and reading! Keep the reviews coming!**

**Do I really have to tell you again? You know I don't own it.**

* * *

Eames was worried. There was no way he'd be able to get there soon enough. He was hoping that nothing would happen before he got there because he wouldn't be able to do anything.

Before boarding the plane he sighed and pulled out his phone, hoping that they would be near London. He quickly dialed a number he hadn't in a while and waited as he heard the ringing tone.

Finally they picked up. "Hello?" the voiced sounded tired.

"How close to you are you to London?" Eames asked, not bothering mentioning his name.

"What? Why?"

"Just answer the damn question!" Eames growled impatiently.

"We're in London. Why?"

"I need you to go to the safe house. Arthur's safe house in London. You know where that is, right?"

"Yeah, it's been a while though."

"Get there as soon as possible. Bring guns and be cautious when you're there. They could very well already be captured and who knows what Cobol will do to them this time."

"Cobol's still after you guys?"

"Apparently they have been following our tail since we left Mombasa. Just get over there fast. And…be careful." Eames quietly added before shutting his phone.

If he couldn't be in London now, he had the relief of knowing that they would get to his teammates soon.

"You guys better be alright." Eames said to himself as his plane began to board.

* * *

"Who was that?"

"Eames."

"What did he want?"

"We need to get to Arthur's safe house now. He thinks that Cobol might be there and the others are in trouble."

"What?"

"We can't waste any time. Hurry up. Grab the guns. We need to leave now."

* * *

Arthur could see Ariadne trembling. She was scared and all he could hope for was some kind of miracle. He glanced sideways and saw his friends tied up, unconscious, next to him. He wished there was some way to keep them unconscious for a while. The longer they weren't awake, the longer time Ariadne had, unless he did something to upset the men.

He heard some grunting and looked at the third man, who was clutching his stomach.

"What's going on?" He exclaimed, looking at Rex and Darryl.

"You didn't think we'd keep you along forever did you?"

"The water you drank was drugged. It was only a matter of time before it kicked in." Darryl grinned wickedly.

"You…you...I…can't…" The man collapsed on the floor and Rex and Darryl turned away, uninterested.

Arthur watched in shock as they left the dead man there. Rex stared at Arthur, his gaze full of hatred.

"I can't wait until your friends wake up there." He grinned evilly and turned to Ariadne. "And you'll have to go through with it, knowing that you have no choice and there's nothing your friends can do for you. Especially your boyfriend there."

Ariadne resisted the urge to spit at him or shout at him, not wanting to receive more injuries. She knew that what he was going to do to her would be way worse than any injuries, but she was trying not to think about that. Instead she remembered Arthur's words. Everything would be ok. As much as she doubted it, she really clung to that hope.

* * *

"Turn off the headlights. They'll know we're coming if they see them on."

"We might have to park away from the house. A sneak attack is the only way."

"Do you think that the front door will be unlocked?"

"I don't know. We just have to get in there quickly."

"I don't see any men out here, but they could be hiding."

"Alright, stay close behind me. We'll walk from here and be as quiet as possible. If you see or hear anything, let me know."

"Alright."

The two slowly made their way to the house, their senses on high alert. After scanning the area and finding no one guarding, they rushed to the front door and gently pushed it open. The first person went in first, observing the surroundings.

The second person followed, closing the door softly and creeping quietly behind the first person. They could hear voices, but they didn't know where it was coming from.

Not wanting to split up, they turned to the right and scanned the hallway and rooms, not finding anyone in them. Sighing quietly, they quickly retraced their steps and entered the kitchen. They saw dirty dishes in the sink and noticed that the chairs were missing.

The voices were getting louder now and they crept towards the noise. They found the room the others were being kept in and cautiously split up, so they could be on both sides of the entrance. When they peered in they had to hold back a gasp.

* * *

Cobb had begun to groan and Arthur started to become alarmed. If Cobb was waking up, the others would be too. He wanted to try to get Cobb's attention, to tell him to pretend to still be unconscious, but Rex and Darryl were watching him closely.

Ariadne was struggling against her binds again, not wanting Rex to get near her, especially not touch her. She was starting to panic and Arthur was getting frustrated, wanting to ease her and comfort her.

Cobb's posture straightened and he looked up and blinked quickly, trying to regain his focus. He groaned again at his pounding headache and looked to his right. Arthur was looking at him worriedly. Cobb looked forward and growled when he saw Rex and Darryl.

"You! Let her go!" Cobb shouted.

"Not a chance. You see, we're not too happy that you took her away from us. We were going to use her. Well, after she talked that is. But she was a tough one to crack. We knew she would eventually though. But we couldn't find out for sure since you came for her. Now you will watch as we defile your lovely little architect.

Cobb shook against his chair. "No! Don't you dare touch her! Arthur, why aren't you trying to get free?" Cobb turned to Arthur angrily.

Arthur was slumped in his chair, thinking. Arthur motioned with his eyes to his hands and Cobb glanced behind him, noticing Arthur trying to cut his rope with his knife.

Cobb relaxed a little and turned his attention back to Ariadne. She was afraid. He could see that. He could also see that she was trying to put on a brave face for them. But what these men were about to do to her was disgusting.

"Now wake up your friends there. We need to get started." Rex gave a toothy grin, his eyes darkening.

Yusuf was slowly regaining consciousness and Arthur internally cursed. Once Miles woke up, that would be the end of Ariadne.

"Oh look. Perfect timing. Your chemist is starting to join us. We just need the old man to wake up. Give him a nudge." Darryl taunted and Cobb's eyes narrowed.

"No." Cobb replied through clenched teeth.

"Do it! Now!" Rex shouted. Cobb didn't flinch. He knew that if he kept this up, it will keep them distracted from Arthur and Ariadne.

"I swear, I'll slap you so hard, you'll forget who you are! Wake up the old man!"

"Go. To. Hell." Cobb replied and Darryl made his way to Miles, pushing him hard enough to wake him up.

He shook violently and his eyes snapped open. He took in the sight in front of him and gasped.

"Ariadne!" He called out. "What's going on?"

"We're just getting started." Darryl replied, walking to Rex.

Rex nodded. "I bet you haven't been able to do this to her yet." He said to Arthur. Arthur stiffened and watched as he climbed onto the bed and slowly made his way to Ariadne.

She started to kick and scream, but Rex just held her down, his weight too much for her. She kept struggling, not wanting to make it easy for him.

He slowly pulled at her shirt, unbuttoning the first three buttons. Arthur shook in his chair, trying to escape. He was almost out of his binds, but now he had no time.

"No! Get off of me!" Ariadne screamed through tears, trying to get away from Rex.

"Just close your eyes and enjoy." He cooed.

She cried harder, her struggling becoming more wary. She was giving up. There wasn't anything she could do either. She could hear the shouts from the men tied to the chairs, but she couldn't think of anything else but the man slowly undressing her.

Arthur worked harder at the ropes around his wrists, but it was extremely difficult. He could feel them getting looser, but by the time he got through one layer, Ariadne's shirt was almost off. That's when he heard two gunshots.

* * *

They didn't want to wait, they couldn't. If they did, the man surely would rape Ariadne in front of her teammates, her friends.

The first person aimed their gun and fired at Rex. The second quickly followed and shot Darryl. They heard a scream from Ariadne as Rex's body fell on top of hers and the men were shouting in shock.

They walked into the room and when their presence was known the room grew silent.

Arthur looked at them in disbelief. He opened his mouth as a name left his tongue.

"…."

* * *

**Oh man...right on time...leave a review and let me know what you thought. If I get a lot of reviews I may just upload another chapter before the end of the day :)**


	47. Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien

**Alright, I had to update again :) But this is the last one of the night, I'll probably upload the rest tomorrow throughout the day. I don't have classes tomorrow, so I have all day to update! Woo! So I'm glad you all like the suspense and drama. Now is the aftermath and the beginning of wrapping things up. Chapter 50 is the epilogue...so we're almost at the end! Read and review! I was excited to see you all enjoyed the last chapter! So...without further ado...here is the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer...not mine**

* * *

"Chloe? Colin? What are you doing here? How did you…" Arthur was at a loss for words.

"Eames called. We've been in London."

After recovering from the shock, Arthur cut the last of the rope around his wrists and quickly cut off the ropes tying him to the chair, handing the knife to Chloe. He quickly rushed to Ariadne and pushed the body off of her. She was shaking and had her eyes shut tight.

"It's ok. I told you everything would be fine." Arthur whispered to her. She opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Get me out of these ropes." Her voice quivered and Arthur nodded, untying the knots that kept her hands above her head. Once she was free she clenched and unclenched her fist, quickly buttoning up her shirt.

The others were already freed, thanking Colin and Chloe. They turned to the bed and walked over to check up on Ariadne. She shut her eyes tight and willed the tears to go away, but she couldn't. She climbed off the bed and ran out of the room, leaving the others in shock.

"She's in shock." Miles mumbled sadly as he walked out of the room to talk to her. Arthur stood there, helpless. Cobb gave him a sympathetic look and walked to him, patting his back.

"She'll be alright. She needs a little time." Cobb assured him.

"I hope so. She's been through a lot. I don't know why she still wants to do this. She's seen how dangerous this is. And it just makes me wonder how much longer it will take for her to realize that she can't handle this life…and me." Arthur quietly said.

"I can talk to her." Chloe offered.

"She won't want to talk to you." Arthur replied, not out of spite, but out of honesty.

Chloe nodded in agreement. She really wasn't on the best of terms with any of them, especially Ariadne, but she wanted to try.

"How about you all get some rest. We'll keep watch and when Eames gets here, we'll wake you." Colin suggested and Cobb nodded, guiding a reluctant Arthur out of the room.

Yusuf followed them out sadly. Who knew the events could change so much within mere hours.

Miles knocked softly on the door that Ariadne had slammed shut. He could hear her sobbing and sniffling.

"Ariadne. Dear, open up." Miles coaxed her.

"I don't want to talk right now." She mumbled.

"I know, but it's best if you do. I remember the first time Mal told me about a situation like this. She had kept to herself about it for months and finally she cracked. She hadn't even talked to Dom about how afraid she was. Ariadne, open up so we can talk about this."

He heard the click of the door being unlocked and the handle turning. He waited until Ariadne opened the door and stepped aside so he could walk in. He escorted her to the bed and sat down next to her, watching her carefully. He wanted her to start.

"I didn't know the same thing happened to Mal." Ariadne finally spoke up.

Miles chuckled. "I came here to talk about you and you ask about Mal. Well yes. It was a similar situation, however they got much farther than they did with you. She was sure Dom would have to see her being…violated." Miles recalled the memory sadly. He remembered the anger and pain he felt when Mal told him.

"I'm sorry." Ariadne apologized.

"Oh, you don't need to apologize. Things happen. The only thing that matters is that she got out of there safely. She was traumatized for a while, had nightmares. It wasn't until she talked about it that the dreams stopped."

"It was terrifying." Ariadne blurted out. "I felt arms wrap around me and I thought it was Arthur. Then I was yanked out of bed and they covered my mouth so I couldn't scream." Ariadne's words tumbled out.

Miles nodded for her to go on, but a knock interrupted Ariadne from continuing. Miles shot her a questioning look and she nodded. He got up and answered the door finding Arthur and Cobb standing there, looking anxious and uncertain.

Ariadne was by Miles instantly and she opened the door wider, allowing the two men to step in. Arthur and Cobb walked in silently, not sure if it was ok to break the silence. Ariadne shut the door and walked back to the bed, sitting down and bringing her knees up to her chest and resting her chin on them.

"Ariadne was just explaining what happened. I suggested she talk about it." Miles told the other men and shot Cobb a look. He nodded in understanding. His thoughts went to the time he and Mal were captured and they had nearly raped her in front of him.

Arthur looked at Ariadne sadly. She was avoiding all of their gazes and when she finally got the courage to speak up, she started from the beginning.

"I was so scared." She started, blinking hard to hold back tears. "I was in bed and started to fall asleep when I felt arms wrap around me. I thought it was you, Arthur." She looked up at him and stared at him, their eyes locking.

"I'm so sorry." Arthur apologized. Ariadne shook her head.

"It wasn't your fault." She cut him off before he could say more.

"Go on." Miles encouraged her, giving Cobb and Arthur a look telling them not to interrupt.

"They covered my mouth so I couldn't scream for help and then I was yanked out of the bed. That's when I started to struggle against them. I tried hard to break free. A few minutes later Arthur came rushing in. By that time I was relieved, I knew that I would get out of the situation, but then they pulled out the knife and gun and I knew I was in trouble." Ariadne's voice grew quieter.

"I thought for sure you all were going to have to sit there and watch…" Ariadne trailed off and stood up suddenly. "I didn't even thank Colin and Chloe!" She shrieked and ran out of the room.

Miles chuckled and looked at Cobb and Arthur. "She'll be just fine."

Cobb nodded, smiling. "She's a fighter. She'll get over it."

Arthur nodded blankly, his fears still eating at him. Cobb noticed this and turned to him.

"She'll be fine. She loves you. Talk to her." Cobb said, leaving the room. Miles smiled at him and stopped before leaving.

"Dom's right." He winked at Arthur and left the room.

Ariadne came in a few minutes later. She pulled Arthur to the bed and sat next to him. She grabbed his hand and started fiddling with his fingers. He watched her patiently, knowing that she was gathering her thoughts and words.

"The only thing that kept me hopeful was you telling me everything would be alright." Ariadne finally said, linking their fingers together.

"I had my doubts about that." Arthur admitted.

"So did I, but you keep your promises." Ariadne replied.

"This was one I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep."

Ariadne looked at him, her eyes softening. "But you cared enough to tell me so I wouldn't be afraid."

Arthur smiled at her and brought their linked hands to his lips, kissing her hand gently. "And you're sure you're alright?"

Ariadne shot him a look but nodded. "I'm fine. I promise. Just, don't leave me tonight." She asked.

"I won't." Arthur promised. "You should get some rest."

Ariadne nodded. "Wake me up when Eames gets here." Ariadne yawned.

"I'm going to sleep too!" Arthur smirked and pulled her down with him. She let out a loud shriek and laughed.

"Right, I forget that even Point Men need sleep too." Ariadne chuckled and buried her head into his chest. He laughed quietly and ran his hands through her hair, gently stroking her soft curls and putting her to sleep.

* * *

**So what did you think? I figured I should bring in Chloe and Colin again before this ended...after all they are useful for something. When I started writing these past chapters I was trying to figure out how to get them out of the situation and I thought, "Hey! Why not bring back Colin and Chloe! They wouldn't expect that!" So I did...and it's better than Eames showing up because there was NO way that he'd be able to. And Arthur escaping and taking out the men seemed too cliche...so this is what happened! Hope you liked it! Let me know what you thought! And I will be updating tomorrow! Don't worry :D**


	48. Don't turn Off the Lights

**Alright, here's the next chapter. It's starting to wrap things up. The next chapter is the last...then after will be an epilogue...so I hope you all enjoy! Let me know what you thought of this chapter! Reviews are love! :D**

**Well...I could say I owned Inception, but I'd be lying...**

* * *

Loud knocking on the door woke Arthur up from his peaceful sleep. He shifted slightly as he opened his eyes and allowed them to adjust. He could see a faint hint of the sun streaming through the curtains and he glanced at his watch.

It was barely going to be 6:30 and he figured it was Eames at the door. He shifted again and felt Ariadne's body roll off him. He froze, hoping that he didn't wake her up, but then he remembered that she asked to be woken up when Eames arrived. He wasn't completely sure if it was even Eames at the door, but his doubts were soon pushed away when he heard Eames' loud and worried voice.

"Where is everyone?" He practically shouted.

"Shh!" Chloe tried to quiet him down. "Everyone's asleep. They had a rough night."

"What? What happened?" Eames asked.

Arthur sat up and turned to Ariadne, gently shaking her. She mumbled and rolled over, swatting his hand away. He chuckled and nudged her again.

"Hey, Eames is here." He quietly said and she opened her eyes slowly.

"What?" She asked, rubbing her eyes and sending a glare to Arthur.

"Eames is here. You wanted me to wake you."

"He's here!" She sat up and looked around, her eye narrowing when she took in the time. "And he decides to come at an ungodly hour." She mumbled. Arthur stretched and waited for Ariadne.

She sighed and stood up, trudging behind Arthur. Eames' voice was getting louder and when they reached the kitchen they found him pacing anxiously. When he spotted them he rushed to Ariadne and hugged her and she gasped in pain. Eames apologized but kept hugging her, loosening his grip slightly.

"You guys are alright! What happened?" He asked after releasing Ariadne. Eames moved to hug Arthur, but he held up his arms in warning. Eames shrugged and grinned before turning serious again.

"It's a long story." Arthur sighed.

"I didn't fly all the way over here in the middle of the night for no explanation. What happened?" Eames asked again, growing irritated.

Arthur rubbed his face and motioned for them to move into the living room. They sat down on the couches and Eames waited patiently for Arthur to start.

"I'll go wake Cobb, Miles, and Yusuf." Colin excused himself and left the room.

"We were ambushed. They were already in the house and we didn't know it." Arthur started and shot a look at Ariadne as she stiffened.

"We were setting up the security cameras and the alarm system. Yusuf asked about them possibly being in the house already and that's when it snapped. They wanted to wait until Ariadne was alone. When I reached our room she was struggling and they were trying to take her and escape through the window." Arthur sighed.

"They had another man and he took out the others, tied them up, brought them into the room, and made sure Arthur was secured in a chair too." Ariadne cut in. "They wanted them to watch as they undressed me and…" Ariadne gulped and trailed off. She looked up and Eames' face was red with fury.

"They didn't though!" Ariadne quickly added.

"Those bastards deserved what they got." Eames said angrily as he looked into the room where they were still laying.

"We need to get rid of the bodies." Cobb's voice came from the doorway as he walked in. "It's good to see you Eames."

"It's great to see all of you alive." Eames replied. "Where are Yusuf and the old man."

"That old man can hear you." Miles said as he sat next to him on the couch. Ariadne giggled and covered her mouth when she saw Eames' shocked expression.

"Sorry." Eames mumbled.

"Some day you're going to be an old man too, and you'll get tired of hearing jokes like that." Miles scolded playfully. The color drained from Eames face, realizing that Miles has heard all of his old man jokes.

Ariadne broke out into laughter, and soon the others joined in too. Eames was scowling as his face turned bright red.

"What's the laughter about?" Yusuf asked and Colin nodded, curious.

"Miles is just teaching Eames here a lesson." Cobb's laughter was dying down and he quickly became serious.

"Now that the men are dead, what do we do? Are they still going to send more men our way?" Ariadne asked.

"I don't know. If we split up it might not be a good idea, but we need to find out for sure if we will be left alone. Their best men are dead, they'll have to listen to us." Cobb replied.

"We can negotiate with them." Arthur said.

"What? You can't go to them." Ariadne blurted out.

"We won't, but Saito said he'd be willing to pay for anything we needed. We could buy them out." Arthur calmly replied.

"Saito never told me this." Cobb turned to Arthur and held his gaze.

"He said he's in our debt, I'm taking him up on his offer." Arthur said, standing up and pulling out his phone. The rest of them watched him as he made his phone call.

Ariadne turned to Colin and Chloe. "Thank you guys again." She blushed and avoided their gazes.

"Don't worry about it." Colin waved her off and grinned.

"It's the least I could do after…everything." Chloe replied. Ariadne looked up at Chloe and smiled.

"I really am sorry for what happened." Chloe added cautiously.

Ariadne nodded. "I know." She quietly replied. "How's Cameron?"

"He's fine." Chloe smiled fondly.

"Saito is going to send someone with a message. If they agree, Cobol will be off our backs. And if we have any problems, Saito has men that will take care of it for us." Arthur said as he walked back into the room.

"And if it doesn't work again?" Eames asked.

"Then I'll handle it." Arthur replied.

"You're not going alone." Cobb warned. "If we need to, I'll help you."

"So will I." Eames spoke up.

Yusuf sighed. "I will help too." He hated being on the field, this is why he avoided it, but he couldn't just let these people, his friends and teammates, go into something without his help.

"This is only if you need to though. Right?" Ariadne asked meekly.

"Right. We should be fine for now." Arthur turned to her. She sighed, relieved.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'd like to get these bodies out of here and get some more rest." Colin spoke up.

"He's right. If we don't get them out of here now, the whole house will smell awful." Eames scrunched up his nose in distaste, thinking of the last time he walked into a room with a dead body.

"I'll help." Cobb quickly followed the two into the room.

"I'm going to help them too. You'll be fine with Miles right?" Arthur asked.

Ariadne nodded. "We can take care of ourselves." Ariadne grinned as she turned to her mentor and professor. He was slowly becoming like a grandfather to her.

"Yeah, don't worry about us." Miles winked at Ariadne. "We'll find something to do."

Chloe walked up to Arthur and stood next to him. Arthur turned to her and his eyes softened. "Thank you." He whispered.

"You're welcome." Chloe replied softly. Arthur looked at Ariadne quickly and Chloe noticed. "I'll keep an eye on her. Don't worry."

"Thanks." He mouthed as he left the room and helped the other men clean up.

A few hours later the room was cleaned up. Ariadne had fallen asleep on the couch, wanting to be in a room where people were instead of going into a room alone. She didn't want to risk it and she was still afraid, though she hid it well.

"So what do we do now?" Yusuf asked as everyone gathered in the living room quietly, not wanting to wake the sleeping Architect.

"We head back and try to blend in as much as we can for a few months before we decide to take any more jobs. It won't be safe to, so we'll have to try to live normal lives for a while." Arthur replied, sitting down on the couch and carefully moving Ariadne so he didn't sit on her.

"So basically we're going to live a boring life for the next few months?" Eames asked sarcastically.

Arthur glared at Eames before nodding. "Unless you prefer being taken captive and being tortured."

"No thanks." He mumbled.

"Alright. Just keep in touch so we know how everyone is and where everyone is at." Arthur said, yawning.

"I think it's time we all get some much needed rest." Miles suggested. The rest of the crew nodded and they stood up, stretching.

"I'm going to set the alarms and check all the doors." Arthur said, lifting Ariadne off the couch.

"I'll check the cameras and get those set up." Dom offered.

"Thanks. See everyone later. We'll meet and figure out plans before we split up." Arthur told everyone as he walked to the master bedroom and set Ariadne down on the bed.

He quickly left the room and set up the alarm system and made his rounds around the house, checking all the empty rooms and locking the doors. Certain that the house was clear and there weren't any more intruders, he headed to the bedroom and changed, not wanting to wear the same suit to bed or in the morning.

He collapsed onto the bed and Ariadne woke violently. She sat straight up and looked around. Arthur sat up and looked at her.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." He mumbled as he laid down, his eye heavy.

"It's alright. I should change anyways." Ariadne sighed and left the room to get her bag. She came back a few minutes later, changed and tired. She crawled into bed with Arthur and laid there in thought. She heard Arthur's steady breathing, taking it as a sign that Arthur was asleep.

She frowned and let what happened to her run through her head. She shuddered and turned sideways, curling up into a ball. She shut her eyes tight and tried to forget. She grunted and opened her eyes, forcing herself to think of something else.

She began to wonder what she was going to do now. She knew that eventually they would be splitting up, she just wasn't sure when. She also didn't know what she was going to do when she got back to Paris. School? Work? Dreaming? She closed her eyes and fell asleep thinking about what was to come next.

* * *

**So what did you think? Next chapter will wrap things up and then I'll have the epilogue up...oh and I'm watching Angels in the Outfield right now...Joseph Gordon-Levitt is so ADORABLE in it! :D **


	49. You, Me, and Us

**So this wraps things up. I hope it was what you were hoping for. I will have the epilogue up tonight, I have to say, I enjoyed writing the epilogue, and this story. I'm glad you all liked it and have stuck with me for so long! I'll probably take a little break and write a couple of oneshots before I start a new story. So if you have any ideas for me to write, leave them in reviews or message me! Thanks again, and the epilogue will be up tonight! :D **

**Not mine.**

* * *

The team slept until the next morning, much to Arthur's dismay. However, once everyone was up and able to comprehend everything that was being said, Cobb and Arthur began to inform everyone what the plan was.

"As you know, we have to lay low. No jobs for the next few months. We can stay in contact, in fact I encourage it, just so we know that we're all ok." Cobb began.

"Try not to be too conspicuous. If you are, you may draw attention from people who have heard about extraction and everything that's gone on with Cobol. You want to be especially careful with Cobol employees. Some of them may not know the details, but they'll know enough to be able to figure out who you are. We should be fine, but that doesn't mean they won't try to come after us." Arthur added.

"Does everyone understand?" Cobb asked, looking at every person in the eye and waiting for a nod. "Ok, good. Arthur booked us flights."

"Miles and I are heading back to Los Angeles."

"Aren't you teaching though?" Ariadne asked.

"Yes I am. I'll be back soon. Don't you worry my dear." Miles grinned. Ariadne nodded and waited for the next announcement.

"Eames, you're going to be going to Sydney for a while." Arthur smirked.

"Sydney? Seriously? Why did you have to send me there?" Eames whined.

"Because it's where they'll least expect you to be." Arthur replied smugly.

"Fine." Eames growled and crossed his arms. "There better be some good casinos there." He mumbled.

"Yusuf, you will be staying in India for a while. Is that alright?" Cobb asked.

"Why do you ask him if it's alright where he gets to stay?" Eames asked.

"Shut up Eames." Arthur said.

"I'll shut up when I get to go where I want." Eames snapped.

"Hey, what's with you two? You were fine last night." Ariadne broke up the argument. They both fell silent and looked down.

"Just the stress I guess." Eames replied. Ariadne shook her head.

"Eames, Arthur just wants you to be safe." Ariadne gently said and Eames eyes softened at her concern.

"Yes, that stick-in-the-mud always did have everyone's best interests in mind." Eames said, watching Arthur.

Arthur nodded and looked at Ariadne. She eyed him carefully and scrunched her brow together.

"You guys argued about what was going to happen with me didn't you?" Ariadne asked.

Arthur stiffened and Eames frowned. "It wasn't about what is going to happen with you, it's about what happened with you. He blames himself for what happened." Eames replied.

Arthur elbowed Eames and sighed. "I told you not to say anything." Arthur replied.

"Well she deserves to know!" Eames protested.

"I know, but I was going to tell her when I was ready!" Arthur raised his voice and Ariadne stared at Arthur in shock.

"We should talk about this later." She mumbled, turning back to Cobb.

"Chloe and Colin, you're staying here right?" Cobb asked.

"Yes. We've been fine here, unless there's trouble we'll probably just stay here." Colin spoke up, wrapping his arm around Chloe's waist.

"Ok." Cobb smiled and turned to Ariadne. "You're going back to Paris."

Ariadne nodded. "It will be good to be home." She smiled.

"I know how you feel." Cobb grinned and sat down.

"Arthur, what are you doing?" Cobb asked curiously.

Ariadne looked at him carefully, half expecting, half doubting that he'll go to Paris with her.

"Well my home base has always been Paris…"Arthur trailed off, staring at Ariadne, almost asking if it was ok. Ariadne broke out into a smile and she hugged him.

"…I haven't been able to stay still for the past few months because of…well everything." Arthur looked at Cobb, who nodded. "And it would be nice to stay in Paris again."

"And because Ariadne's there." Eames piped up.

Arthur turned red and Ariadne grinned. "Are you sure this is what you want to do?" She asked him, turning serious.

"Of course." Arthur smirked, causing Ariadne to squeeze him tighter.

"Well now that that's settled, we should clean up and head out then." Eames clapped his hands together.

Yusuf quickly left the room and started gathering his things, he was the first one to finish and he sat waiting in the living room for everyone else, preparing himself for goodbyes.

The group met up in the living room, shyly looking at each other. After everything that happened, it was going to be hard and strange to say goodbye. Yusuf shuffled his feet uncomfortably and looked up. He turned to Ariadne first.

"Stay safe ok? And if you ever need anything, give me a call." Yusuf told her holding out his hand, but she ignored it and pulled him into a hug.

"Thanks Yusuf. Be safe too. Keep in touch." She smiled at him as she released him and he nodded, turning to Arthur.

"Goodbye Arthur. Just as I told Ariadne, stay safe, and if you are in need of any sedatives, feel free to find me." Arthur nodded and shook Yusuf's hand.

He continued saying his goodbyes to the rest of the team. Telling them that he will keep in touch and keep them updated about his sedatives. He quickly left the house and found a cab, heading to the airport.

Colin and Chloe were the next to leave, saying goodbye to Eames, Cobb, and Miles before turning to Arthur and Ariadne warily. Chloe broke the silence first.

"Be careful Arthur. Things can get testy and dangerous." She told him. "And take care of Ariadne here." She smiled.

Arthur smiled back, glancing at Ariadne. "I think she can take care of herself."

Ariadne smiled at him as he continued. "For the most part." He added and she playfully elbowed him.

"Just be safe ok?" Chloe told both of them and they nodded. "Keep in touch?" She asked Arthur, uncertain. Arthur nodded and hesitated before hugging her.

"Thank you." He whispered into her ear and she nodded, pulling back.

"It's the least I could do." She told him before turning to Ariadne.

Ariadne pulled her into a hug and held her there. "Thank you for coming. If it weren't for you guys, I would have…"

"Hey, I owed you anyways." Chloe said as she pulled away. "Take care of Arthur here. Make sure he eats and sleeps."

Ariadne chuckled. "I will." She said, smiling at Arthur.

"Take care, love." Colin told her and patted her head playfully. She glared at him and he laughed heartily before engulfing her in a hug. Colin then turned to Arthur and ruffled his hair, earning a growl from the Point Man.

"You are Eames' brother." He muttered and the others laughed.

"Take care Artie." Colin cheekily said, shaking Arthur's hand.

"Don't call me that."

Colin laughed. "Hey, someone's gotta tease you at least once before we leave."

"Yeah, then Eames can't since you already did." Arthur replied.

"Not a chance." Eames shook his head happily.

Arthur sighed and grumbled as Colin turned to Chloe. "Ready?"

Chloe nodded. "Bye everyone. Take care." She waved as they left.

"I'll leave with them." Eames said, quickly hugging Ariadne and shaking Arthur's hand. He moved to Cobb and Miles and shook their hands too. "I'll be in touch." He called over his shoulder as he slammed the door. The rest of them stood in the room in silence.

"Well I guess it leaves us then." Miles broke the silence and smiled at Ariadne.

"You will be careful…both of you…right?" Cobb asked, staring at his Point Man and Architect. They nodded in unison. "Keep in touch. I mean it. And Arthur, come visit, James and Philippa miss you. You can bring Ariadne along, I'm sure Philippa would like that." Cobb added.

"I'm sure they'd love to meet her." Miles cut in.

"Yes, they will." Cobb smiled.

"We'll visit." Arthur replied, and shook hands with Miles.

"Take care Ariadne." Cobb quietly told her as he pulled her in for a hug. She nodded and pulled back.

"I would love to visit, and see your real home." She replied.

"Well our door is always open. Arthur knows."

"Yes. And it has saved me from a lot." Arthur grinned. "Thank you Cobb. For helping. It means a lot."

"Well you did help me get back to my children, and I wouldn't leave one of the best Architects to fall into the hands of Cobol." Cobb told him solemnly.

Ariadne was out of earshot and didn't hear what they were talking about. Even so she was too busy talking to Miles to care.

"Do take care of yourself. I know you hate being reminded and being checked up on, but we only care." Miles told her.

She let her head fall slightly. Miles raised his eyebrows at her and lowered his gaze to meet hers.

"What's that matter dear?"

"I know you all care, but what if one day Arthur decides he doesn't want to be with me or that he thought he loved me, but he really didn't? My independence is the thing keeping me together, if I allow myself to just trust someone so fully, I won't have that anymore." She whispered.

"I don't think you have to worry about that." Miles gently told her. "It's part of growing with someone. Putting your trust completely in the other person. And I'm sure he has the same struggles as you."

"I doubt it. Arthur's perfect." Ariadne whispered.

"But he's human, he has his faults too. As I recall, Arthur has been in some pretty nasty scrapes. Dom had to really knock some sense into that boy a few times, though neither of them really talk about it."

Ariadne looked up at Miles, surprised. He chuckled and shook his head. "And that would be for Arthur to tell you. When he's ready. You both just need to take time and slowly ease into a relationship, especially if you're thinking about being really serious with this man."

"I am." Ariadne smiled softly.

"Then just take your time and trust each other. Remember, you can't push too hard for anything. Both of you will open up to each other when you're ready." Miles hugged her tightly and she thanked him quietly.

"I'll see you soon." She said as she pulled away.

"Right, you better catch up on your work. I don't want my best and brightest student to fall behind." Miles playfully said and Ariadne grinned.

"I'll catch up." She said confidently, sharing a laugh with her professor.

"Are we ready?" Cobb asked.

Ariadne nodded and grabbed her bags, following the three men out. They got into the separate cars and waved before heading to different airports. The car was silent for a while. Arthur cleared his throat and spoke up.

"What were you and Miles talking about?" He asked curiously. Ariadne stiffened.

"Oh, uh, nothing really." She lied.

"Oh."

Ariadne sighed. "Look, Arthur I'll tell you when I'm ready. I just…I need to think things over."

"Are you having second thoughts?"

"No! Of course not, but Arthur, serious relationships are new to me." Ariadne replied. "I need to figure out how I personally have to make this work."

Arthur nodded in understanding. Cobb had told him something along those lines and Arthur new he was right.

"So do I." Arthur admitted, reaching for her hand and lacing their fingers together.

The rest of the ride was silent, neither of them wanting to break this special moment. It was a new journey for both of them and they new that they both had things to work on, but they were prepared to take on whatever came their way. The good and bad. It was no longer you or me to them, it was now us.

* * *

**What did you think? Let me know! And again, if you have suggestions or ideas for my next story, leave them in a review or message! Thanks for reading and be on the lookout for the epilogue tonight! **


	50. Sweet Disposition

**And here it is...the moment you've all been waiting for...I had so much fun writing this...let's just say I love to write cliche fluff and cuteness :D (insert anime happy face here) So I'm extremely happy with how this ended as well as the reaction to my story, I'm so glad you all liked it! Let me know what you think of the epilogue! Review Please!**

**For the last time, I don't own Inception...**

* * *

Arthur heard that Cobb was going to be in France visiting Miles this weekend. Anxiously he picked up the phone and dialed Cobb's number. It rang a few times before a familiar voice picked up.

"Hello?"

"Cobb." Arthur exhaled.

"Arthur? What's going on?" Cobb asked, happy to hear from his friend.

"I heard you were going to be in town. Are you free at all?" Arthur asked.

"Yeah. I can meet you and Ariadne for dinner when I get there if you'd like."

"Oh, uh, I was hoping we could talk." Arthur nervously replied.

"Ok…is there something wrong? Are you and Ariadne having problems?" Cobb asked, worried.

"What? No! Not at all. I just have something I want to talk to you about." Arthur replied nervously.

"Ok." Cobb said uncertainly.

"Call me when you land, we'll meet somewhere." Arthur abruptly said, hanging up.

Cobb ended the call and stared at his phone. "Well that was weird." He said to himself and turned to James and Philippa.

"James! Philippa! Are you guys all packed?" He called.

"Yes daddy!" They shouted from outside and continued to run around. Cobb smiled and shook his head. It had already been a year and a half since the incident with Cobol and they hadn't had any other problems with them, so he was assuming everything would be fine.

"Are you ready to visit Uncle Arthur?" Cobb asked when James and Philippa ran into the house.

"Yes! And See Ariadne!" Philippa jumped up excitedly.

Cobb chuckled. "I'm sure she'll be surprised and happy to see you guys. Now go get some sleep, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." Cobb told his kids and they pouted before racing to their rooms, seeing who could get to bed first.

* * *

Arthur sighed as he ended the call. He rubbed his face and looked up, finding Ariadne staring at him with her eyebrows raised.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing's wrong. Everything's perfect." He replied, grinning.

"It didn't look perfect a minute ago." Ariadne said, worried.

"I just haven't been sleeping too well." Arthur lied. Ariadne frowned and cupped his face in her hands.

"Poor baby." She teased.

Arthur scowled and rolled his eyes playfully. "Cobb's going to be in town for a few days."

"He is? Is he bringing the kids?" Ariadne asked, her face brightening at the thought.

"I don't know. He didn't say."

"I hope he does. James and Philippa are so adorable." Ariadne gushed and Arthur chuckled.

Ariadne smiled and studied Arthur again. She didn't see any dark circles under his eyes and he had been sleeping through the night.

"Arthur, what's going on? I know you're lying about sleep. You get plenty of sleep and you don't look tired. Besides, being in the dream business you get used to having weird sleeping schedules. So that can't be it. Don't lie to me." Ariadne frowned and placed a hand on her hip.

Arthur stood up and kissed her, trying to change the topic. He didn't want to talk about it with her. It would ruin the surprise. Cobb was the one he needed right now and he had to keep his secret for a little longer.

"Nothing's wrong." Arthur assured her, but she still looked skeptical.

"Fine. Don't tell me." She angrily said, but she held her ground, not wanting to run away even though it's the first thing that came to mind.

"Come on, let's have a nice lunch." Arthur told her, pulling her to the kitchen.

"Hold on, I'm going to go change into something more comfortable. You should too." Ariadne called over her shoulder as she left to change.

Arthur shook his head happily and slipped his hand into his suit pocket. He fiddled with the small box that was nestled safely inside his jacket. He knew he wanted to ask her, but he just wasn't sure how to. He hoped that Cobb would be able to give him some advice, although he already had something in mind.

Ariadne's soft footsteps broke him out of his thoughts and he quickly pulled his hand out of the pocket, turning to the cabinets to pull out some pots. Ariadne searched through the fridge and cabinets, trying to figure out what to make.

"What are you in the mood for?" She asked, her voice muffled.

Arthur turned to look at her and smiled when he saw her small form in the pantry. He walked over to her and stood behind her.

"I can make a salad." Arthur whispered to her, causing her to shiver.

"Sounds goo." She said breathlessly. "How about some pasta to go with it?"

"Salmon sounds better." Arthur replied, kissing her neck softly. She squirmed and turned to face him.

"If you keep doing that we won't be eating. And I'm really starving." Ariadne said, flustered.

Arthur chuckled. "Alright. Let's make something to eat."

"You're so going to pay for that." Ariadne warned him.

"Maybe." Arthur smirked and quickly got to work, ignoring Ariadne's gaze.

* * *

It was close to six on Friday night that Arthur received the call from Cobb. He was glad that Ariadne had an evening class because she wouldn't question why he wanted to have dinner with Cobb alone.

He nervously made his way to the restaurant Cobb had made reservations for. His thoughts were muddled and he hated that he wasn't his calm, collected self. When Cobb spotted Arthur walking in, he stood up and made his way to his friend.

"Arthur. How have you been?" He asked cheerfully.

Arthur cleared his throat. "Great." He grinned. "And yourself?"

"It's good to be home." Cobb admitted, his grin widening. He took in Arthur's disheveled appearance. "So what's really going on?"

Arthur sighed. "Let's sit down first."

Cobb nodded and they followed the hostess to their table. She handed them their menus and Arthur hastily opened it, ignoring Cobb's gaze.

"Ok. Talk." Cobb rested his elbow on the table and held his chin.

"I want to propose to Ariadne." Arthur blurted out, surprising himself.

Cobb smiled. "Well congratulations. So what's the problem?"

"I'm not sure what to do." Arthur admitted.

"You don't know how to propose?" Cobb teased.

Arthur glared at him and rubbed his face. "It's not that. I just, I want it to be perfect, but I'm not sure how to do it."

"You don't need to make it perfect. If it comes from the heart, it will be perfect to her." Cobb told him.

Arthur looked down at his hands and sighed. "I do have something in mind, but I'm not sure if she'd like it."

"Is it in a public place?" Cobb asked.

"Why? Is that a bad idea?" Arthur asked, panicking.

"Not necessarily. It just depends on what kind of public place. A restaurant, I don't think she'd like that."

"I wanted to take her to the Eiffel Tower for dinner, walk around afterwards, and propose under it." Arthur said.

"I think she'd like that." Cobb smiled. Arthur sighed in relief. "Just make sure to make the proposal you. Something special to both of you. Not something cliché. Although the Eiffel Tower may be a bit cliché." Cobb chuckled and Arthur blushed.

"I have something else to go with it though. I'm nervous about it though." Arthur replied.

"What is it?"

"I'm not going to tell you. Ariadne can tell you." Arthur smirked. Cobb grinned, glad to see that Arthur was feeling better.

"So are we going to eat or what?" Cobb asked, changing the subject and getting Arthur's mind off of what he was going to do.

* * *

Arthur had set up reservations at the restaurant inside the Eiffel Tower. It took him a few hours, but he finally got in. He then set up other plans, making sure everything would be where he needed them to be. He even paid Eames to set up a few things. Cobb was told to stay hidden around the Eiffel Tower, recording it for them.

Cobb was skeptical at first, but figured it must be something big for him to want it recorded. It would make a good surprise for Ariadne too. Arthur had given Cobb strict orders to not make himself known at all and just bring over the camera the next day.

As Arthur waited for Ariadne he began to fiddle with his tie, straightening it, loosening it, tightening it back up, and sighing when he noticed he was fidgeting. He spotted Ariadne walking towards him in a deep blue dress that had one strap and hung low on her shoulders. It ended just above the knee and he felt his breath leave him for a moment.

"Hi. So you got reservations huh?" She grinned playfully.

Arthur nodded and took her hand in his, kissing it softly before lacing his fingers with hers. "Let's go."

The night went smoothly. Ariadne didn't seem to suspect anything and if she noticed his fidgeting and unusual clumsiness, she didn't comment on it. As they walked down the stairs she began commenting on the structure of the tower and Arthur couldn't help but stare at her.

When they reached the bottom, a man handed him a guitar case and Ariadne looked at him puzzled.

"Well that was weird." She said, but when she saw Arthur pulling out the guitar she gasped. "What are you doing?" She asked.

Arthur shook his head slightly and wrapped the guitar strap around his neck before strumming slightly to check the tuning. Ariadne watched him curiously, surprised that he was going to play in public.

He started strumming again, a familiar tune filling her ears. She looked up at Arthur, her eyes wide. She knew what he was doing.

_Forever can never be long enough for me  
Feel like I've had long enough with you  
Forget the world now, we won't let them see  
But there's one thing left to do_

_Now that the weight has lifted_  
_Love has surely shifted my way_

_Marry me today and every day_  
_Marry me if I ever get the nerve to say hello in this cafe_  
_Say you will, say you will_

Ariadne's eyes started to water and she quickly wiped them, not wanting to ruin her make up. She covered her mouth with her hands and continued to stare at Arthur as he sung to her.

_Together can never be close enough for me_  
_Feel like I am close enough to you_  
_You wear white and I'll wear out the words I love you_  
_And you're beautiful_

_Now that the wait is over_  
_And love and has finally shown her my way_

_Marry me today and every day_  
_Marry me if I ever get the nerve to say hello in this cafe_  
_Say you will, say you will_

Ariadne let out a choked sob and laughed afterwards. This was not what she expected to happen tonight. Arthur was staring at her as he continued on, his gaze full of love.

_Promise me you'll always be happy by my side  
I promise to sing to you when all the music dies_

_And marry me today and everyday_  
_Marry me if I ever get the nerve to say hello in this cafe_  
_Say you will, say you will marry me_

When he finished strumming he knelt down on a knee and pulled out the ring that he had kept for the past few months. He opened it and she gasped, her suspicions confirmed.

"Ariadne."

"Yes!" She cut him off before he could ask. He smiled, relieved, and took off the guitar, placing it in the case. She immediately jumped into his arms and kissed him. There was clapping in the background, but both of them chose to ignore it, too caught up in each other to care or be embarrassed.

"You played in front of people." She whispered to him, pulling away slightly to look at him.

"I know." Arthur replied, leaning in and kissing her again.

"I love you." She said between kisses.

"I love you too." Arthur replied, resting his forehead against hers.

"And I'm so holding you to the 'I promise to sing to you when all the music dies' line." Ariadne smiled through tears. Arthur chuckled and pulled her closer to him.

"Always." He whispered.

Cobb and Eames watched from a distance, grinning. They spotted each other and nodded, walking slowly so they wouldn't draw any attention.

"Well it looks like that old stick-in-the-mud does have some creativity after all." Eames grinned.

Cobb nodded. "Who would have thought he would marry our Architect?"

"Well it was bloody obvious from the beginning! It made me sick!" Eames said, turning to Cobb in shock. "You didn't notice it?"

Cobb looked down, embarrassed. "I had my own distractions to deal with then."

"Right." Eames quietly said, turning back to the couple embracing.

"Let's give them some privacy. We'll hear all about it tomorrow." Cobb pulled Eames away, leaving Arthur and Ariadne in the distance.

* * *

**So...too cheesy? I personally love this proposal...it's one of my dream proposals...and I couldn't help but put it for you all...and Arthur singing...WOW! HOT! haha...again, let me know what you thought and if you have any ideas for future stories let me know! I will definitely try to write one of them...and I do have one last request! SOMEONE PLEASE WRITE A BABY FIC! Haha...I may just do a oneshot for a baby fic...but we'll see ;) The title of this chapter is my ALL TIME FAVORITE song! I love it! Thanks again for reading and sticking with me and for all of you who have added me to Author alert/story alert/favorite author/etc...thank you SO SO much! It means a lot! And now, I'm out... :)**

**P.S. Here is the song Arthur was singing, just in case you haven't heard it...it's so cute! :D Just copy and paste the link and it should work!**

**.com/watch?v=ghZt2cILcCU  
**


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